Something Like Love
by dreamer.at.heart
Summary: When Hinata takes a teaching position in Suna, she doesn't expect to end up living with the Kazekage. But she also doesn't expect to fall in love with him either. GaaHina and all that jazz.
1. New Beginning

_That's right people._

_It's GaaHina time!_

_This is for all of the wonderful reviewers who requested that I write a GaaHina chapter fic. Well, here it is!_

_I have to warn you, this first chapter may be a little effy as I wrote it today. While throwing up all day. While having a fever._

_So forgive any fever-induced mistakes, and lemme know what ya'll think!_

_Also, out of curiosity...how many people would be interested in seeing a lemon at some point? I'm not saying it's a for-sure thing...but I'm considering it._

_GENERAL DISCLAIMER: Roses aren't all red, violets are actually violet, and I don't own Naruto or any of the music in this fic. THE END._

_Enjoy_!

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><p><strong>New Beginning <strong>

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><p><em>"There's too much fighting, too little understanding<br>It's time to stop and start all over  
>Make a new beginning."<em>

_- Tracy Chapman_

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><p>Gaara hates drama.<p>

So he's suspicious when Tsunade sends him a scroll asking if he has any use for an extremely skilled kunochi with former experience with children. They both know he does - Suna needs a teacher for their Academy now that the war's over. Really, he could use some help with the orphanage, too. The Fourth Shinobi War produced too many orphans and Gaara holds a special place in his heart for neglected children.

But Konoha's having their own problems, so why is Tsunade offering up one of her best?

Gaara automatically suspects clan problems. When he looks over the girl's file he sees that she was the on-again-off-again heiress of the Hyuuga clan. Apparently there's some history of abuse or something like that, but the report isn't very detailed. There's mention of several attempted kidnappings and a brief stint as clan head. According to the file, the Hyuuga girl did something involving a seal and then passed the clan head position to her cousin before being emancipated. She's barely nineteen now and wants to leave Konoha for some reason. It smells fishy to Gaara and he really doesn't like seafood.

"Seriously Gaara, you can't pass this up. She's an amazing kunochi and really kind, too - do you remember during the Chuunin exams? Her cousin actually said she was too kind to be a shinobi, but she's stubborn as hell so it doesn't hold her back in the field. I think she'd be a great replacement for Norio. We seriously need a new teacher, and she worked at the Konoha Academy for a while too."

And that's the other thing.

Temari hasn't stopped bugging him to approve the transfer since he got the scroll. It appears that Temari knows the Hyuuga well and likes her enough to pester him about it. It makes him even more suspicious as Temari knows better than to annoy him about such matters.

"Fine," He wants her out of his office. He _likes_ being alone, and she's ruining his day. "I'll approve it. You can take care of the details yourself."

Temari squeals girlishly (more reason to be suspicious - Temari does not _squeal_) and hugs him tightly before snatching the scroll off of his desk and running out of his office, slamming the door behind her.

Gaara sneezes - Temari's wearing perfume that he thinks he's allergic to - and then he picks up the girl's file once more.

Now that Temari mentions it, he does remember the Hyuuga from the Chuunin exams. She was a pathetic excuse for a shinobi and a horrifying example of a little girl at the time - barely twelve, _maybe_ thirteen. She had fought her cousin, who he remembers to be older and much more experienced. It hadn't been a surprise when she lost - the surprise came when she _kept getting up_.

Privately, he admires the young kunochi. He knows the pain of having a loved one try to kill you, something her cousin had done. She reminds him a little bit of himself, and several times during both his time as Kazekage and as leader of the Shinobi forces he has thought about her and her refusal to give up.

But her words…

_"I can see that you are the one who is suffering…"_

She sees a little too clearly for his taste. That could prove to be a problem.

And then he remembers the other thing - she is in love with Uzumaki Naruto.

_"She…she loves me. She **loves** **me**! Even though I'm a demon container and I've done nothing but hurt her... No one's ever told me that, Gaara. What do you think I should do?"_

It wasn't like he had an answer for his friend. Gaara, more than anyone, knows nothing about love.

But if she loved Naruto, then why was she coming to Suna?

Gaara makes a small noise of frustration and he shuts the file and pushes it off to the side. He's not going to worry about it anymore.

* * *

><p>Hinata keeps her hands hidden safely under the folds of her yukata. The fabric is slightly itchy and smells like mothballs-all her yukata have been sent to Suna ahead of her and she got this one out of storage-and she's extremely uncomfortable. Neji keeps glaring at her and Hanabi's sniffles aren't really helping either. Her father is absent, which is no surprise.<p>

"Remind me again why you insist on leaving Konoha." Neji demands through gritted teeth. His own hands are hidden beneath the long sleeves of his Hyuuga robes, but she knows that they are clenched into tight fists.

Hinata sighs and tries not to roll her eyes. Neji has been the biggest pain in the ass-neck, excuse her language-since she emancipated herself (the reason, of course, that her father was so angry with her) and her announcement that she is leaving Konoha has only made everything worse.

"Konoha no longer holds anything for me, nii-san," She tries to keep her voice soft as to not scare him. Apparently acting cold just makes him worry and an anxious Neji is a cranky Neji. "Shino is serving as an ambassador for Iwa and Kiba is taking over the Inuzuka clan. Kurenai has her baby now. I've been serving in ANBU for a year now, and I'm ready for something new. Perhaps Suna will provide me with a new chance to become stronger. And before you say it, you don't need me anymore either, nii-san. You don't need me as an advisor any more than I need you to protect me." She tries to smile but it only makes Neji cast his eyes away from her.

"You should have never made me head," Neji murmurs. "I'm not the leader you think I am."

Hinata fights back a smile. Neji's been saying the same thing since she handed him the position and called him Neji-sama (now that he understands how awful it is he's stopped calling her Hinata-sama under the condition that she never call him anything but nii-san). "You don't give yourself enough credit, nii-san. I did what I could to bring the houses together. My time with the Hyuuga is done."

Neji looks like he's going to say something and Hinata prepares herself for his anger, because his eyes are flashing silver. But it's Hanabi who speaks instead:

"If you leave us, I'll never forgive you." Her little sister's voice is barely above a whisper. "I'll never forgive you!"

Her heart clenches and Hinata closes her eyes. This might be the hardest part of the whole ordeal, but Hanabi's fourteen now. It's time she learned about loss.

"Hanabi, one way or another I'm going to leave, soon-be it by my own free will or in a body bag," Her words are harsh but she's babied Hanabi for too long. Hiashi thinks he's made Hanabi strong, but in his hurry to create an heir without emotions, he forgot the love of a sister. Hanabi is attached to her and that's why this hurts so much. "The average ANBU lives about three years if they don't get out. I just reached my one year mark-would you prefer I die before I leave Konoha?" Each word is sharp as the kunai she has hidden under her yukata and Hanabi winces.

"No!" She cries. "But even if Neji-niisan doesn't need you, I do! Please, nee-chan, I don't want you to leave!" Hanabi suddenly throws decorum to the wind and she launches herself at her sister, sobbing into her yukata. "Please, nee-chan!"

Hinata wraps her arms around Hanabi and strokes her long brown hair back. When she was making the decision to leave, she kept telling herself the same thing; that Hanabi still needed her. But they're both lying to themselves.

"You're about to take the Chuunin exams, Hana," She uses her old nickname and Hanabi chokes out another sob before burying her head in Hinata's shoulder. "You don't need me anymore, but I'm just going to be in Suna if something happens. I'm only two days away, if you're feeling lazy and walk the whole way. If Otou-sama does something, you can go to nii-san or come stay with me for a bit."

Hanabi slowly stops crying but Hinata continues to stroke her hair. It's a familiar motion; Hinata's always been more of a mother to Hanabi than a sister as their mother died in childbirth. "Will you write me?" Hanabi slowly asks. "Every day?"

"Every day," Hinata assures. "I promise."

"And you'll come back for my birthday? And the Chuunin exams?" Hanabi's sitting up now, keeping her teary eyes on her sister's. "And you'll bring me souvenirs?"

Hinata finally breaks into a _real_ smile and she lets out a giggle. "Of course! And you'll write me all about Konohamaru-kun, right?"

That makes Hanabi blush and this time even Neji laughs.

"Ah, Neji-sama?"

There's a servant at the door to Neji's office and he looks uncomfortable, which makes sense as Neji is currently glaring a hole into his head. "This better be important."

The servant swallows. "Ano, Shikamaru-san is here for Hinata-sama."

Hinata sighs heavily and Hanabi begins to sniffle again. Hinata carefully moves Hanabi off of her lap and she stands up, stretching her arms behind her back.

"I'll miss you, nee-chan." Hanabi throws her arms around Hinata's neck and gives her a big hug. "And don't forget to write!" Then she stands back and Neji is in her place.

"You don't have to do this."

"But I do."

"I should kill him."

"It's not his fault. It's not anyone's fault."

"But it was a factor."

"Perhaps."

"I should kill him."

Hinata sighs again and she stands up on her tip toes to place a kiss on her cousin's bare forehead. She still can't get over the fact that he no longer has to wear bandages. "I love you too, nii-san. Write me."

"Hai. You better go."

Hinata lets go of Neji and does as told, following the servant to the doorway.

"Hinata?"

Hinata turns around at the sound of her name and Neji crosses the room in a moment, pulling her into a bone crushing hug.

"Be careful, imouto-chan." He whispers, his hands tangled in her hair. He smells like jasmine (he has an unhealthy addiction to the fragrant tea) and she inhales his scent one last time.

Hinata nods and when she glances over her should one last time, Neji is fighting back tears.

She is glad he's crying. Once upon a time he would've laughed.

But things have changed and so has she.

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><p><strong>fin.<strong>

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><p><em>Reviews keep the updates coming! :)<em>

_- dreameratheart _


	2. Temporary Escape

_Hey guys._

_First of all, I want to apologize for taking so long to update. I meant to update within a week, seeing as I want to improve my update times, but something happened that made me stop writing for awhile. My golden retriever, Moby, my best friend, was diagnosed with cancer. I spent most of the time I usually spent writing with him. We thought he'd have at least till June, but instead, he died a week and a half ago. I know he wasn't human, but to me he was both a family member and more or less my best friend. I don't think losing him wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't had lost my cat, Taffy, on my birthday in September. She had been in the family since I was three. My family is a bunch of animal lovers, so having a pet-free house was really depressing for all of us. Then a few days ago we rescued a couple of kittens. At first I was worried that we were getting new pets too soon, but I really love my new kitten. We have two: Mickey, a little white furball with one blue eye and one hazel eye who belongs to my sister, and Luna, a little black kitten with hazel eyes (kudos to everyone who gets the name). Having them has brought back some inspiration and made me want to write. _

_Anyway. Enough whining out of me. _

_The other thing I want to do is thank all of the wonderful readers who reviewed. Seeing those reviews in my inbox really made me feel better after Moby died. So, thank you to blackirishhawk, Eleoopy, Hyuga09, smile, nina, evil-x-love, LoveOverHate, Jinmi, littlepinkcandy, and LadyOfMist92. You guys rock my socks. :) Also thank you to all that have favorited this story, added it to your alerts, and favorited me. _

_Finally, I have decided that at some point I will be putting in a lemon. It'll be the first one I've ever written, but what the hell, I'm going for it. For those of you with gentle minds, I'll put in a warning when it happens. Also, I do want to warn that as this is a more grown up version of the Naruto cast, they might act a little different (mature). _

_If anyone has any questions or comments, especially about grammar mistakes since I did about zero editing, please review or even pm me. _

_Enjoy!_

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><p><strong>Temporary Escape<strong>

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><p><em>"Can't help myself but count the flaws<br>Claw my way out through these walls  
>One temporary escape<br>Feel it start to permeate."_

_- The Naked and Famous_

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><p>"Are you ready, Hinata-chan?" Shikamaru is waiting outside the gates of the Hyuuga compound. He eyes Hinata's formal yukata with a raised eyebrow and he even takes his toothpick out of his mouth to roll it between his fingers.<p>

Hinata swiftly removes the obi and the yukata falls open to reveal her fishnet shirt and dark shinobi pants. She's already wearing her shinobi sandals and she opens her pack to pull out her jacket, shoving the yukata in its place.

"I am now, Shikamaru-kun." She gives him a humorous smile and he rolls his eyes at her but there's a twinkle in his eye and she runs to catch up with him.

He already has their mission scrolls, so they head straight for the gate. She's already said goodbye to Kiba, Kurenai, Neji, Hanabi, Ino, and Chouji, so there's really no reason to delay. But Hinata can't help but glance over her shoulder at the gates and the village she's leaving behind.

"Kurenai's going to miss you." Shikamaru comments as they walk down the road outside the gates of Konoha. His words make Hinata wince. Kurenai threw a fit when Hinata told her of her transference, and Shikamaru is almost as protective of Kurenai as Team 8 is.

"I'll miss her too. You'll take care of her, right?" Shikamaru is intelligent and he doesn't miss the unspoken _"if something happens to her, I'll kill you"_ part.

"You know I will. I'll take pictures of Akio and bring them with me, too, next time I'm in Suna."

"Arigatou, Shikamaru-kun." Hinata seriously loves her sensei's son, and she definitely will miss his little cries of "Hime!" he would make whenever she came over.

"And I guess I'll probably have to bring you stuff from Chouji and Ino," He drawls. "Ino's gonna be a pain in the ass with you gone. I'm going to have to listen to her gossip."

She knows that this is just his way of saying _"I'm going to miss you",_ but she laughs anyway. "She's not that bad! But…" Then she quiets down. "She's still hurting over Sai, Shikamaru-kun, and I think Chouji could really help her. You'll do something about it, won't you?"

"That's really troublesome," He says, tucking his hands behind his head. "But ok. It'll get Ino off my back about Temari, I guess."

"Oh yes, the real reason you're escorting me to Suna?" She teases. She's usually not this bold but it's Shikamaru and he looks so _funny_ when he blushes - like a pink pineapple. Not that she's ever going to tell him that.

"….Troublesome."

She laughs again.

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><p>Hinata absolutely <em>loves<em> Suna.

It's currently winter in Konoha, where the temperature hovers around 36 degrees. And it's winter in Suna, too, but that means it's a pleasant seventy six degrees with a slight breeze. The warmth feels wonderful and Hinata lifts her face up toward the sun, letting her eyes close.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Hinata's eyes fly open and she flushes at Shikamaru's smirk. But really, she _is_ enjoying herself.

Shikamaru has his sleeves rolled up and Hinata has her jacket off, tied around her waist. It's their second day of traveling and they're about a mile from Suna. She can see the rounded roofs of the buildings from their current location.

"I'm so excited to see Temari!" Hinata exclaims. She can't help but be happy - she'll blame it on the weather, but she really _did_ need to get out of Konoha and she actually is excited to see her friend. "She wrote that she's going to take me on a tour and that we're going out for dinner tonight - you too, Shikamaru-kun!" She struggles not to burst out in laughter at the sight of Shikamaru's face, which had fallen slightly when Hinata told him she'd be monopolizing Temari's time.

Suddenly Hinata feels like being serious and she tilts her head. "Do you love her?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

"…A lot."

"How much is a lot?"

"You're asking a lot of questions."

"It's a valid one."

"…I'd kill for her."

She's satisfied with his answer and she turns her head forward again.

"I wonder what Naruto's going to do when he finds out you've left." Shikamaru thinks out loud. Hinata knows he's just pushing her buttons now, but she can't help but tense up.

"He probably won't even notice." She murmurs, kicking at the sand beneath her feet. It's going to stick in her sandals and she subconsciously decides to invest in a pair of closed toed shinobi shoes. These really aren't going to cut it. Actually, she should probably just get a whole new outfit, but Temari can help her with that.

"That's doubtful. I think you underestimate how much he cares for you."

All smiles are gone now and Hinata keeps her eyes focused on the Suna gates. "I think you underestimate how much he cares for Sakura…and overestimate whatever feelings he might have for me. He never even spoke to me about…a-about _it_, Shikamaru." She stutters over her words and it almost physically hurts to speak." It's been almost three years. And yes, we were at w-war for one of them…But he c-can hardly _l-look _at me! Do you know how much that _hurts_? I…I need to get over him. I don't think I'm ready to fall in l-love again…And this isn't a-all about him."

"I still think you're being a little rash."

That makes Hinata stop completely, and Shikamaru stops too.

"When did you fall in love with Temari?" She asks. All signs of her stutter vanish. If she needs to bash his head in to make him understand, she will, but that works better verbally and so she has to be in control of herself.

"Probably after the Sasuke Retrieval mission."

That sounds right to Hinata - that's about the same time Temari fell for Shikamaru. "When did you tell her how you felt?"

"…About three years later."

"And what did she say?"

Shikamaru's blushing again and Hinata tries not to laugh. Really, Shikamaru's too tan to blush, and his eyes look a little lighter too, like watery hot chocolate instead of amber like usual. "Ano, she said it was about time and…ah…kissed me."

She knows this is code for 'we made out' but she ignores that. "What would you have done if she had ignored your confession? Not rejected you - just ignored you."

"I probably would've cornered her and demanded an answer." Shikamaru starts walking again and Hinata nearly trips catching up with him.

"And what if she kept avoiding you? What if she kept dodging the subject?"

"Hurt. I get what you're saying, Hinata. But Naruto doesn't even know what love is. How do you think he feels?"

"He knows enough about it to be in love with Sakura." She snaps. Hinata is known for her abnormally even temper, but Shikamaru is a special case and he's poking at wounds that haven't even begun to heal yet. He's just making her angry now and she fights back tears. "You can't say he knows nothing about love, because _he does_! He has Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei and Tsunade-sama and Sakura-chan and Sai-san and…and he's just being a coward. I'm ok with rejection, Shikamaru, and I would actually prefer it to this!"

"Hinata."

The ice in his voice freezes her where she stands.

"No matter how far you run, this will only be a temporary escape. You know that, don't you? No matter how far away you are from him, from what he's done and what he hasn't done, this will catch up to you. You can't escape yourself, Hinata."

It doesn't even sound like Shikamaru speaking.

Then she silently thanks Kami because they're at the Suna gates now. She hands the guards her mission scrolls and move quickly toward the Kazekage tower.

Shikamaru is barely caught up with her when she knocks on the door to the Kazekage's office. The brunette sends her a look, which she pointedly ignores.

The doors swing open by themselves and a voice growls at them from within the confines of the office.

"Temari, I already sent the scroll so stop pestering me. It's probably not even at Konoha yet, and aren't you supposed to be on a mission?"

"Ano, I'm not Temari."

The redhead at the desk looks up from his work and his eyes widen a fraction for a second before he smiles tightly. "You must be Hyuuga Hinata."

"It's Yuuhi Hinata now." She corrects him softly. She's still angry at Shikamaru's words (_no matter how much truth might be in them_) and it's easier to keep her voice low than to betray her feelings to a stranger and the Kazekage at that. "I was adopted by my sensei." Which is true. After her emancipation, Kurenai offered Hinata her own last name, since she technically wasn't a Hyuuga anymore. The Hyuuga had put up a shit fit about it, of course, but they couldn't do a thing.

"…Yuuhi Hinata, then." The Kazekage corrects himself, and he has an odd look in his eyes that Hinata can't identify. "Welcome to Suna. Although we weren't expecting you for at least another week."

Hinata is unpleasantly surprised and she's immediately flustered. "Ah, I'm so sorry! I though Tsunade-sama had already sent along a response and-"

"It's fine, Yuuhi-san. Your apartment, however, is not ready yet. I will see to it that you are given proper accommodations until then."

Hinata has never been addressed as 'Yuuhi-san' and she doesn't really like it. "Please, call me Hinata-san."

"…Hinata-san." He says slowly. Hinata wonders if he's uncomfortable with that. "And I am Gaara."

"It's nice to meet you, Gaara-sama." Now he _really_ looks uncomfortable. "Ah, do you prefer something else?"

"Just Gaara would be fine." The redhead brushes back a stray stand of hair and Hinata almost giggles. For someone who was once one of the most bloodthirsty shinobi alive…the Kazekage is actually kind of adorable. He reminds her a bit of Akio whenever Hinata wakes him up from a nap.

"Wait a second…Why do I have to call you Subaku-sama?" Shikamaru whines, reminding them he's still there.

"Because I don't like you, Nara." Gaara replies tersely. Now Hinata really _does_ laugh.

"Speaking of, you can leave now, Nara. Temari is on a mission so there is no reason for you to stick around."

Shikamaru groans, running one hand over his head. "Damnit." He looks so miserable Hinata has to forgive him, and she tentatively places a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll miss you Shikamaru-kun." They _are_ close so she places a chaste kiss on his cheek and he hugs her, ruffling her hair when they part. "Take care of Kurenai and Akio and Ino for me."

"I'll miss you too." Then his warm smile tightens. "And seriously…think about what I said. Take care of yourself." Then he disappears behind the red doors of Gaara's office.

Her eyes linger on the spot where Shikamaru stood another moment until Gaara speaks. "You are close with Shikamaru?"

"Hai. His sensei was involved with my sensei before he died. Our teams grew close after Asuma-sensei's death, as my sensei revealed she was pregnant with his child."

A stricken look crosses the Kazekage's delicate features. "I…I am sorry. I was not aware."

"It's alright. Shikamaru doesn't like to talk about it."

The silence afterwards is not uncomfortable, but apparently the Kazekage feels the need to break it. "As I said, we were not expecting you for another week. Neither your position nor your lodgings are ready, so you will have some time to yourself. Have you been to Suna before?"

Hinata shakes her head. She became friends with Temari because the Suna kunochi was constantly in Konoha, not the other way round.

Gaara stands up and Hinata realizes how truly…_pretty_ the Kazekage is. She's seen him before, of course, but not close up since the Chuunin exams. He isn't tall, about the same height at Naruto, though that's still two inches taller than her. His skin is extremely pale despite the Suna sun, almost as pale as her own. His features are almost elfin, but there's something…_dangerous_ about him that keeps him from looking girly. He reminds her dimly of Neji. But unlike Neji, whose eyes terrify her, Gaara's eyes are probably what makes him so pretty. They're the prettiest shade of green, sea green rather than Sakura's grass green, but more jade than blue. And his tattoo is still there, crimson red against his pale, pale skin, though his equally red hair covers most of it up. His hair has gotten longer since she last saw him at the beginning of the war, and he has it haphazardly pulls back into a short ponytail. It's almost…dare she say it, hot.

She honestly feels a little silly, looking over the Kazekage like this. But it's not a crime to find a man physically attractive, right? Even if she's the "innocent" one, she still thinks certain male specimen are, as Ino puts it, _fine_.

"I am done for the day. Would you care for a tour of Suna?"

Hinata immediately begins waving her hands in front of her chest in protest. "I-I couldn't impose, I'm sure you-"

"I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

><p>He's a bit annoyed that she's early, but it's not like it's her fault. And besides, it means that the Nara doesn't stick around - he really can't stand the man who will probably take his sister away from Suna.<p>

Also, taking the…Yuuhi on a tour gets him out of paperwork.

He finds himself weirded out by her last name. Yuuhi Hinata sounds awkward and he's glad she allows him to call her Hinata-san, because Yuuhi is honestly an unattractive last name. Especially since the Konoha kunochi is _quite_ attractive. Her skin is a shade paler than his, something he doubts will change under the rays of the harsh Suna sun. She's a tiny thing, about two inches shorter than him, though he can't really tell what her body shape is; she wears a pair of pants several sizes too big for her and a heavy jacket that, while the color compliments the lavender flecks in her eyes, completely swallows her body. But still, her lips are an appealing shade of light pink, like the cherry blossoms that grow in his private green house. His mind wanders to Naruto's talk of her confession, and why Naruto would ever pass up a woman like this, if only for her looks.

"Your village is beautiful." Hinata says in respectful awe, keeping her hands clasped behind her back.

That's another nice thing. She seems to seriously like Suna, which is a surprise. Every other Konoha shinobi, Naruto included, has found Suna to be stifling, too hot and too _red_. He's glad someone besides himself finds the desert land beautiful.

"I'm glad you find it pleasant. How long do you intend on staying here?"

She looks surprised, though not offended by the question. "I don't really know," She raises her gaze to the sky. "It'll have to be a minimum of a year just to get the Academy back off the ground. A permanent transference may be in order for it to truly work – to get at least one class to graduation, I would have to be here for around for at least six years."

"You would do that?" He knows the shock is evident in his voice. He doesn't understand why someone would willingly give up their life, family, and friends for another village. He, certainly, would _never_ give up Suna for Konoha. Then his eyes narrow and he thinks he was right to be suspicious.

"Well, yes." She gives him a quizzical look. "I requested the transference myself, Gaara-sa-, sorry, Gaara. Konoha…held nothing for me. I had achieved what I needed to and I wanted more than endless ANBU missions."

He knows there's more than that but he doesn't press the issue; he hardly knows the girl after all. "I see."

He doesn't.

"That is the Academy," He points out the building with a rounded top, effectively changing the subject. "It is a short walk from your future apartment and from Central Suna."

"About how many students will I have?" She questions.

He frowns, trying to remember the rosters. "It's a class of about thirty, I believe. They are all between the ages of six and eight and have varying levels of training. Several of them are orphans."

Something in his words must have caused her pain, because her eyes flicker between lavender and silver. "How many orphans do you have in your village?"

"I believe it is a figure in the forties. The war left many children alone." He says bitterly. The worst part, he thinks to himself, is that since ten of them are over the age of eight, they cannot become shinobi per Suna's laws. They will be forced to attend civilian school and take jobs in the civilian workforce. He knows many of them personally and it breaks his heart.

"Could you take me there?" The question snaps him out of his thoughts and he turns toward Hinata, confused. "Excuse me?"

"The orphanage. Would you mind taking me there?"

He certainly doesn't mind and it's close enough to the Academy. The building isn't in shambles or anything – he takes care of his children as he thinks of them – and there is a playground out front. Several children are still playing on it, despite the fact that it is starting to get dark.

"Kiyoko, it's my turn for the swings!" A young boy cries.

"Takao, stop pushing! I just got on!" A girl's voice snaps. "Go bother someone else."

"Hey guys, stop fighting! Gaara-sama is here!"

The children all look up at the same time, and a small boy who looks like he is on the verge of tears breaks into a grin. "Gaara!"

Gaara smiles himself when the boy runs over and latches on to his robes. "Gaara-sama!" He squeals.

"Hello, Takao." He ruffles the boy's shaggy black hair. "How are you today?"

Takao begins rambling about how he beat the others at playing ninja today, and when Hinata giggles – an extremely adorable sound, Gaara notices – he suddenly quiets down.

"Hello Lady-san." He says shyly. Gaara is unnerved by this behavior. He has known Takao since he was a baby and has never known him to be shy.

"Hello!" She smiles sweetly at Takao and kneels down so that she is on the short six year old's level. "What is your name?"

"T-Takao." He stutters out, slightly hiding behind Gaara's leg.

"It's nice to meet you, Takao. I'm Hinata, and I just moved to Suna."

"Really?" Takao's eyes widen. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Konoha. It's a two day walk from here – have you ever been there?" She answers him like he's an adult and Gaara finds himself with a growing respect for the former Konoha kunochi.

"Wow! Konoha? I've never been there but I want to go some day! Did you ever meet Uzumaki Naruto? He killed all the bad guys! I want to be just like him! I have two of his trading cards from the Heroes of the Shinobi Wars collection!" Takao says excitedly.

Hinata stiffens and her eyes do that flashing thing again, going grey before returning to silver. She's very good at masking her emotions and Gaara is impressed yet again. "Yes, I knew him. I was one of the Konoha 12." She smiles and it almost looks genuine to even him.

The Konoha 12 are notorious for being the ones who helped end the war and for being the strongest shinobi of their generation. And of course, Takao is impressed and his eyes widen. "Wow! Then…that means you're Hyuuga Hinata! You have the longest Byakugan range in history! I have two of your cards too!"

Hinata nods, blushing lightly (again, she keeps doing things that are irritatingly adorable) and she doesn't correct him when he calls her a Hyuuga. Gaara is curious now; does she really have the longest range in history? If that's true, why did the Hyuuga let her go?

Ha! Suspicions affirmed. His 'drama-radar' is going off the charts now.

"Hi Gaara-sama!" An older girl joins them, her long blonde hair flapping in the wind. "Is this your girlfriend?"

He wonders if he looks as red as Hinata does when he shakes his head. "No, Kiyomi. This is Hinata-san. She will be the new Academy teacher when class starts up next week."

Kiyomi's face darkens at the mention of the Academy and Gaara knows why. Kiyomi is ten years old, and she is one of the orphans who will not be able to attend the Academy.

But apparently Hinata doesn't know this, because she just turns toward the ten year old and smiles. "Are you excited to start training, Kiyomi?"

"I'm too old to go to the Academy." Kiyomi mumbles, eyes downcast. "I go to civilian school."

Hinata looks confused and before Gaara can explain she's speaking again. "What do you mean, too old? Any child with the will to become a shinobi can attend the Academy, regardless of age."

"Maybe in Konoha, but not in Suna. I'm ten." Kiyomi continues to look more and more miserable. "The cut off age is eight."

"Now, that's not right," Hinata stands up straight and now Gaara is the one confused. "If you want to become a shinobi then age is not a factor. You are still young enough that your chakra network is still quite flexible. If you want to attend the Academy, then you will, regardless of what some silly law says!" She says fiercely.

Gaara has known this woman for only a few hours, but he finds himself extremely interested by her. She asks Kiyomi how many other children think they're too old for the Academy, and she isn't happy with the answer. Hinata tells the golden haired girl to tell everyone to be at the Academy next week ready to train, and Kiyomi bounds off with a quick "Goodbye, Gaara-sama!", Takao trailing behind her.

"They're sweet kids." Hinata watches them go and there's a light in her eyes he finds rather attractive.

"Yes," Gaara immediately agrees. "You handle children well."

A small smile creeps up on the girl's face. "I have a younger sister. She's thirteen. And after the war, I worked with the orphans in Konoha for awhile before I joined ANBU."

Then suddenly the color drains out of her face. "Oh my Kami. I am so sorry. I just told them they could attend the Academy, but your laws are obviously different and I-"

"Calm down, Hinata-san." He interrupts her smoothly. She's right, and quite frankly he's very pleased. "I've never understood the law myself, but I never thought to do away with it. By tomorrow morning the law will be gone."

"I…" She stares up at him and her eyes change once more. Except this time, they seem to glow as if lit by a light inside her. A smile stretches across her cheeks and the color returns to her skin. "Thank you, Gaara."

Suddenly, a loud noise startles them both and Hinata looks sheepish, as the noise had come from her stomach. "I'm sorry, we didn't really stop to eat when we traveled."

"There is an excellent BBQ restaurant around the corner. We will eat there." He takes her by the hand to lead her there and he doesn't understand when she starts protesting and turns red.

"Ah, I d-don't want to impose, I c-can get something by myself-"

"You are my guest here," He seems to be interrupting her a lot today. "And I believe Temari intended on taking you here anyway."

She falls silent and the walk to the restaurant is quiet. It's kind of nice and he doesn't feel the need to make conversation. It's a pleasant sort of silence.

When they arrive and step inside, Hinata takes a deep breath. "That smells delicious!" She exclaims.

Gaara nods to the waiter who seats them quickly and takes their order. He orders for both of them and then returns to Hinata.

"After you begin working at the Academy, I would like weekly reports on how the students are progressing." He says after taking a long drink from his water. Despite rumors that he is impervious to the sun, the heat does get to him and he gets thirsty.

Hinata nods and goes into what he assumes is her business mode, sitting up a bit straighter and tucking her hair behind her ears. "That's fine. Now, for resources for the orphans, has a budget been put aside for their supplies?"

She really is as good as the reports say, getting to business right off the bat. "It's not enough, especially since you will be accepting the older orphans. That will increase your class size by about ten. I will speak to my council about adjusting their budget. In your first report, I expect a final roster and a list of supplies each you still need."

"Hai, that's fine. And-"

"Gaara-kun!" A girlish squeal interrupts Hinata and something slams into his side.

"Hello, Matsuri." He says dryly. Matsuri has been somewhat of a pain since she stopped being his student. She suddenly is constantly touching him, something he is uncomfortable with (his sand is trained not to attack her anymore, something he finds a little annoying) and she is always asking him 'out'. He really doesn't understand it.

"Who's this?" Matsuri asks, her eyes narrowing when she sees Hinata.

"This is Hinata," He doesn't give her last name to avoid more Yuuhi-Hyuuga confusion. "She is the new Konoha transfer. She will be serving as the Academy teacher."

"Well, why are you having dinner?" She asks, a bit rudely in Gaara's opinion.

"Because we are hungry." Gaara says slowly, as if he were speaking to a toddler. "Is that not what people do when they are hungry?"

Matsuri sighs exasperatedly and Gaara just becomes more confused. "Oh, whatever. I'll see you later, Gaara-kun!" She places a quick kiss on Gaara's cheek before rushing out of the restaurant.

"Is she your girlfriend, Gaara?" Hinata asks. Gaara frowns at the question. Why does everyone ask him that?

"No. She was once my student and she has become a bit of an annoyance since I put her on her own team. I don't understand it."

When Hinata laughs, her eyes light up. Gaara subconsciously notes to make her laugh more often. "I think your student has a crush on you, Gaara."

"A crush?" He repeats,

"She's romantically interested in you." She explains.

Suddenly it all makes sense and he wonders why no one explained it to him before. "Ah. I see. I am not romantically interested in her." He doesn't know why he makes sure to add the latter part of his statement, but then there are no more words, because the food has arrived and he realizes that he too, is hungry.

* * *

><p><strong>fin.<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Please review! I hope to update this weekend. <em>

_~ dreameratheart_


	3. Like the Angel

_ I. Am. AWESOME._

_Why? Because I updated in a week. I think that's gonna be my new goal. Update every single week. More if I can. So, expect the next chapter by next Thursday at the latest._

_Anyway, I'm going to admit that this chapter is kind of lame. Not a whole lot of plot, just some character development (if you can even call it that...). The story will really get going in the next chapter, where we start getting into some major drama. I'll try to get it out as soon as possible to make up for this piece of crap._

_Now, a big shout out to all of the awesome people who reviewed! Reviews, if you weren't aware, make writers write. Every time I get a review, my heart does a little jump. Reviewing means you've taken the consideration to write down how you feel about a story, even if it's just a couple words. You're letting the writer know that "hey, we're reading this! we care! keep writing!". So, thanks to the following people: Veraozao, Angle-of-the-Dragons, el H.H, Goikuchan, XpurplegurlX, ImCutePoison, aryaputra, chellythemadhatter, blackirishhawk, sumo, eleoopy, and Hyuuga09. Also a special shout out to Goikuchan, who corrected me on the spelling of Sabaku. Thanks! Eventually I'll go back to the first chapter and fix it._

_Also, if anyone is curious, all of the chapters are song titles and the quotes are from the song. These are usually songs I listen to while I write the chapters. If anyone has a songs they'd like to see me use, let me know and I'll consider it. :)_

_And finally, as for the food in Suna, I've based the cuisine completely off of the food of Okinawa, Japan. Okinawa Island is different from mainland Japan, and so is it's food. Okinawa is typically the hottest part of Japan and has an average year-round temperature of about seventy three degrees. I wanted Suna to be like Japan, but since it's a desert I tried to pair it up with the hottest part of Japan. Also, I used to live there, which makes it cooler! :D_

_That's enough out of me. _

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Like the Angel<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"Like the angel you are, you laugh<em>

_Creating a lightness in my chest_

_Your eyes they penetrate me_

_Never cease to amaze me."_

_- Rise Against_

* * *

><p>The meat has an interesting, bitter taste, and Hinata finds that she loves Suna's cuisine. "What is this called?" Hinata asks him before placing another piece in her mouth.<p>

"That is Rokuro-san's signature goya chanpuru dish. Dishes containing goya are popular in Suna, as it is said that the bitterness helps the body combat Suna's heat. Our farmers grow goya in mass quantities as it becomes extremely popular during the spring and summer seasons."

It sounds a bit rehearsed, and Hinata realizes that he probably has all kinds of information about his village memorized. He_ is_ the Kazekage after all.

"Do you like it?" His question snaps her out of her thoughts, and she nods quickly. "It is bitter, but in a good way. It's very different from the pork dishes in Konoha."

Some unnamed emotion crosses over the Kazekage's face, and Hinata wonders if she's said the wrong thing. Her heart begins to pound. Oh kami, she can't have screwed this up already, could she?

"I…I am very glad you enjoy it. Most Konoha shinobi dislike our food." He says slowly, choosing his words carefully. He strikes her as someone who speaks his mind, and it's curious that he seems cautious around her. Perhaps it's because she's a stranger?

But his words make Hinata laugh, even if it is a laugh nearly as bitter as the goya in her stir-fry. "I am not most Konoha shinobi."

Gaara mumbles something under his breath and Hinata's eyebrows furrow together. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you."

One of his eyes twitches. "Just talking to myself, Hinata-san." His eyes fall on the empty plate in front of her, and she feels embarrassed by how much she ate. She can feel her face heating up.

"They are small servings, Hinata-san. Do not be embarrassed - you are a shinobi and…and I would not worry about your figure if I were you."

"I-I…"

Suddenly the Kazekage's face is almost as red as the kanji etched onto his forehead. "I apologize if that came out as an insult, Hinata-san. I only meant - ah, perhaps now would be a good time to take you to where you will be staying until your apartment is finished." He quickly stands up with an unusual cat-like grace and glides out of the restaurant.

Without another word, Hinata rises and follows him out of the restaurant, giving the host a cautious smile as they exit.

They walk in stiff silence. Hinata bites her lip, wondering if she should speak. It's her fault he feels uncomfortable now – he thinks she was offended by his comment, which she wasn't. Her two best friends are boys, after all, and she's well aware that she's rather…._gifted_ in the chest area, as Kurenai once put it. But this is the Kazekage and not her pseudo-brothers, so she needs to fix this.

"Ano…" She begins awkwardly, trying to break the silence. "Where shall I be staying?"

"You will stay in my home. I share with both of my siblings. I am sure Temari will be excited to have you staying close, if only for a short time."

She wants to protest, but she can tell from his tone that it would be useless. "Thank you for your generosity, Gaara." She says softly. "This is extremely kind of you."

The Kazekage responds with a grunt and then turns suddenly through an alleyway, disappearing into the shadows and reappearing suddenly when the sunlight finds its way to the ground.

She picks up the pace so that she can stay a step or two behind him, as to not invade his personal space. He doesn't glance back at her like Kiba or Shino might, instead expecting her to keep up.

The architecture of Suna is ruggedly beautiful, incredibly unique compared to the plainness of the structures in Konoha, which are usually wooden with haphazardly painted accents in primary colors. But Suna's buildings look like they've all been carved out of the desert itself. They are painted in shades of sandy yellows, rusty reds, and earthy sienna browns. Details are carved into the sides of the buildings, desert flowers and intricate tile like designs. Some have flat roofs, some have tiled, some have rounded roofs that she imagines look beautiful from the inside.

The sun begins to beat down harder on them and Hinata lifts her chin up to let the sun's rays caress her face.

"We are here, Hinata-san."

Hinata jerks her face back down and wonders how close her blush is to the color of Gaara's hair. Then she lets out a gasp.

The Kazekage's home is carved right out of the canyon the village sits in. It is large, rising several stories in the air and spanning the length of the Hyuuga compound back in Konoha. The first thing she sees is the porch, which Gaara leads her onto through one of three arches that supports the balcony above them. The sapphire blue tiles on the ground distract her momentarily with their shine, though she tears her eyes away to admire the detailing on the border surrounding the glass door.

"OI! HINATA-CHAN!"

"Wha-OOF!"

A black blur launches itself at her and wraps her up in a suffocating bear hug. Someone's fists starts messing up her hair and a deep voice shouts "NOOGIE TIME!"

Hinata closes one eye to keep the hair out and laughs while trying to push the make-up wearing ninja away. "Kankuro, stop!" She says between laughs. "You're messing up my hair!"

* * *

><p>Gaara is startled by his older brother's familiar attitude toward Hinata.<p>

"Kankuro!" She protests again and finally succeeds in pushing him off of her. Her lips stick out in a pout while she tries to smooth down her hair. "You're such a bully!"

Kankuro snickers, and Gaara cocks one eyebrow. "I did not realize you were close with my brother, Hinata-san."

Annnnnd here comes the blush again.

"A-ano, Shino-kun, my teammate, he and Kankuro are very good friends…" She trails off for a moment, biting her bottom lip. "When Kankuro comes to Konoha he usually spends time with my team."

Now Gaara raises his eyebrow in Kankuro's direction. But his brother, sadly, is not nearly as flustered by his Eyebrow Raise of Doom™ as he once was and just snorts.

"Don't gimme that look, I mentioned her to you! Remember, after I came back from Konoha like three months ago? Shino-teme was leaving for that ambassador thing, I was talking to you about the party we had…"

He dimly recalls Kankuro mentioning a party and a woman with 'huge knockers'.

"Ah."

Kankuro rolls his eyes and turns back to Hinata, who is fidgeting with her fingers by the doorway. "Come on in Hina, I just started watching _Terror of the Sands_. And no, it's not about my brother. It's about this group of civilians that stumble on this cave outside of Suna, right? And then…" Kankuro grabs Hinata's hand and drags her inside, his ramblings becoming fainter.

Gaara lets out a deep sigh. His older brother is quite possibly the biggest pain in the ass in the entire Shinobi universe, and that includes both Sai and Naruto. Then he follows them into the house and slams the door behind him.

Kankuro's obnoxious voice carries throughout the house, but so do Hinata's light giggles and the sound is oddly pleasing.

"Make some popcorn and come watch with us, Panda-chan!" Kankuro calls from the living room.

Gaara freezes while taking off his sandals.

Kankuro did _not_ just call him Panda-chan.

He stalks off towards the couch and his sand begins to swirl around him.

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes later, Gaara has calmed down some and Kankuro has headed to the hospital as he thinks Gaara broke his leg, and Hinata and the Kazekage are on their own.<p>

"I apologize for the disruption, Hinata-san. Kankuro tends to push my limited self-control."

Gaara hasn't stopped apologizing since Kankuro left, and it's actually kind of annoying at this point.

"It's fine, Gaara. Kankuro has tested my own patience one or twice before." She flashes back to a drunk Kankuro trying to feel her up and she can't help the giggle that escapes her lips.

"Oh?" Gaara's left eye rises, and Hinata imagines his eyebrow would be raised if he had one.

"Kiba got him drunk," She explains. "He didn't hold his alcohol well and….well, I ended up knocking him out."

Gaara smirks and a shiver goes down her spine. The Kazekage is _really_ good looking, and she blushes when the thought of him without a shirt on runs through her head.

She quickly tries to change the subject so that he won't ask the reason for her flushed cheeks. "Ah, where shall I be sleeping?"

The Kazekage blinks slowly, as if he's trying to remember what she's talking about. Then a panicked look crosses his face and she giggles again.

"I apologize. I should've shown you right away; you must be tired from your journey. Please, follow me."

He quickly rises from his seat and then glides across the tiled floor of the living room and then through an archway that leads to a hallway.

"As this is the Kazekage's home, there are many bedrooms. Past Kazekages would allow important guests to lodge on the second floor, and his own family would live on the third floor. All of the common rooms are on the first floor, including a large library. Please feel free to use any of the rooms, though I would be wary when entering the third room on the right on the second floor. Kankuro has turned it into a workshop and I am worried the fumes coming from that room could be used as a poisonous gas." He says dryly.

Hinata laughs, throwing her head back. She's always thought Gaara to be a solemn and serious man, but she's finding that he has an excellent sense of humor. She hasn't laughed much in the last year and it's nice.

Gaara responds with a small smile. "There are a few empty bedrooms on the third floor. Temari will be home in the next day or two, and I imagine she will be happy to have your close to her. I have put you in the room next to hers."

And that's another surprising (and nice) thing she's discovered about the red-haired man beside her: he is incredibly considerate. "Thank you, Gaara. That is very kind of you."

"You are very welcome. Did you already have your things sent here?"

Hinata frowns. If he didn't know she'd be coming, what has happened to her things? She doesn't have much in her pack, and many of the things in her luggage had sentimental value. "Yes."

"I will find out what has happened to them at once. In the meantime, please make yourself at home. I should be back shortly."

Then he stops in front of a door and tugs a key out from a hidden pocket among the folds of his robes. He unlocks the door and holds it open. "Let me know if anything is wrong with the room. There is an adjoining bathroom and there are towels in the closet."

"I'm sure the room is perfect. Thank you so much for everything."

The Kazekage smiles again and then he is gone.

Hinata turns and looks around the room for the first time. The Kazekage (or his decorators) have very good taste. Unlike the traditional look of rooms in the Hyuuga compound or the modern style of her sensei's apartment, this room is warm and has a sort of airy quality. The walls are painted a soft, sunny yellow, and the reddish-brown bedding reminds her of the clay used to build some of the Suna homes. The bed looks incredibly inviting, but it's probably a better idea to shower first.

Still…

"Just a short nap." She tells herself, removing her shoes and jacket before she flops gracelessly onto the bed. "Just a few minutes…"

She is asleep in a matter of seconds.

* * *

><p>It doesn't take long for Gaara to find the girl's lost luggage. It's been stored in the basement of the Kazekage Tower, so he gives an order for it to be taken to his home.<p>

He spends the next hour or so looking over the budget for the Academy. He'll have to make some slight adjustments, but there'll be enough money for the extra orphans that will be attending. That reminds him of the law that he needs to get rid of, and he draws up the paperwork for that as well. He'll have it officially announced in the morning that any child can attend the Academy, regardless of age.

All of the paperwork concerning the law and the Academy gets him thinking about the pretty pale-eyed girl who is currently waiting in his home. He sees why Temari wanted her to come to Suna so badly. He's only known her for a day, but she's incredibly easy to like. The way she treated Kiyomi and Takao…he wishes he had known someone like her when he'd been a child. She's going to be a great teacher.

Well, that's enough of that. It's getting late and he should probably head home at this point. He wonders if she's hungry. He knows how to cook a few things, but not very well. Maybe he should pick something up. She liked the meal from earlier, so maybe something from the same restaurant…yes, that will do.

He presses the buzzer under his desks and summons his assistant, who appears in the doorway as if by magic. "Yes, Gaara-sama?"

He doesn't look up from his work to place his order. "Please have dinner delivered from Rokuro's BBQ to my home. Make it for three."

"Any preference?"

"No."

Then the girl is gone once more. He doesn't actually remember her name; she's only been working for about a week since Baki has been on a mission. But she usually just makes herself scarce and comes when called, so it works for him. He's never liked having an assistant anyway.

Leaning back in his chair, he folds his hands behind his head and shuts his eyes for a moment, letting his mind settle. The budget has been checked. The paperwork to annul the law is finished. Dinner has been ordered. The stack of missions is finished for his assistant to give out. He found the teacher's luggage. All in all, a productive evening.

Home, then.

Gaara hates walking through the roads in the evening. Most people are outside, enjoying the beauty of a sunset in Suna and the cool weather. People often stop him to talk, whether about politics or events coming up or even just the weather. But he's exhausted and just wants to go home and eat his dinner and maybe talk with Hinata and maybe watch a movie and probably try to sleep, even though that's unlikely.

So instead of taking the roads, he jumps from roof to roof, relishing in the feeling of the cool wind brushing against his face and through his hair. It doesn't take him long to reach his home, and he heads straight to his room to change out of his robes and into a pair of loose black drawstring pants and a red t-shirt. He'd never dress like this in public, but at home, at night, he tried to let go of the stresses of being Kazekage in the same way his shed his robes.

He pads down the staircase to the kitchen in bare feet and finds that his assistant has delivered the food as promised. He searches through the bags and removes a jug of jasmine tea and several containers of soki soba, one of his favorite dishes during the summer. He finds that Hinata's luggage has also been delivered and waits by the front door.

And speaking of Hinata…

Where is the dark haired girl? She isn't in the living room or the kitchen or the library or any of the either common rooms, which leaves her bedroom. Gaara sighs heavily. He'll have to go get her, then.

The door to her room isn't even closed all the way, and for a moment he worries that something has happened to her. There'll be hell to pay if he lost his new teacher on the first day.

He pushes lightly on the door and it swings open.

And then he has to fight to not gasp.

She's asleep on the massive bed, curled up in a fetal position. Her long hair is spread out over the bed, the dark indigo locks standing out in stark contrast against the red bedding. It looks like she just completely passed out as soon as he left. He feels a little guilty for keeping her out when she should've been sleeping. He knows from experience that the journey from Konoha to Suna is an exhausting one, but still...

He has a feeling that this is sort of what angels look like.

Apparently she senses his chakra even in sleep, because her eyes shoot open the moment he steps into the room. She blinks several times and frowns, like she doesn't know where she is. Then her eyes lighten up with understanding, and she sits up, stretching her arms above her head. A moment later she looks up and sees the reason she woke up in the first place.

"O-oh!" Her face immediately flushes pink, the color of the Suna sky at dusk. "Gaara, I'm so sorry, I fell asleep and –"

He cuts her off as soon as she starts trying to apologize for her actions. "It is fine, Hinata-san. You were exhausted from your journey. I should've taken you home straight away."

Her mouth opens as if she wants to protest, but she thinks better of it and bites her lip before nodding. Then she glances at the window and the setting sun beyond the glass. "Ano, what time is it?"

"About seven, I believe. I've ordered dinner, if you are hungry."

She nods again quickly, her head bobbing up and down. "Mmm. Do you mind if I shower first?"

"Of course not." He turns to leave. "Also, your luggage is downstairs. It was delivered to the tower."

"Ah, thank you, Gaara!" She gives him a huge smile, and he can't help but smile back. Then she's on her feet, heading toward the bathroom. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

Good.

He'll need those minutes to compose himself.

* * *

><p><strong>fin.<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Please review! <em>

_~ dreameratheart_


	4. Crying

_I HAVE BEEN SO BUSY. YOU HAVE NO IDEA._

_So first I got really, really sick. Then my family hosted a Japanese exchange student for a week, and she just left on Wednesday. I didn't even touch my computer while she was here, and that kinda sucked. Then yesterday the Hunger Games totally took precedence over everything else. I went to the midnight release and so wasn't home most of the day. Then I spent today sleeping. __So, yeah, I'm giving you a bunch of bullshit excuses. _

_This chapter is sort of "eh", in my opinion, much like the third novel in the Hunger Games series. I kept stopping and starting and that screwed up my writing mojo. ALSO ALSO Gaara does act a little funny in this chapter, but I'm chalking it up to maturity and to what he learned during the war about love. AND THERE IS ACTUAL GAAHINA IN THIS CHAPTER. WHHHEEEEEE._

_I also don't write speeches. I hate giving them. So Gaara's speech thingy is something I just pulled outta my ass. Sorry if it sucks._

_And now thank you to the AWESOME, AWESOME people who reviewed: XpurpegurlX, KabeHinata-lover2, sumo is, deshy07, CartoonistGirl6, el H.H, ValentineSin13, harley944, blackirishawk, BK-Black Knight (who, by the way, has reviewed like every fic I've ever wrote and deserves much love), Eleoopy (who has also reviewed an f-load of fics), iKyoheii, littlepinkcandy, evilsugarnazioverlord, Veraozao, Shippooliver, AnimeRose93, Alexa, Jay-Boogie, Rileyyy, and Warrior of Sangre._

_I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH._

_And finally, would anyone like to read any of my original work? I'm working on a novel right now (fantasy), and if anyone is interested I'll post the first chapter on my livejournal page. _

_WAIT ONE MORE THING: I'm going to update tomorrow. I promise. I really do. And it'll actually have plot._

* * *

><p><strong>Crying<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"Picking up the pieces of a life you've broken<br>Stitching it together with the seams wide open  
>You keep crying, crying, crying<br>Till you cannot see at all  
>You keep crying, crying, crying<br>Till you cannot breathe at all."_

_- Sugarcult_

* * *

><p>True to her word, Hinata is downstairs only five minutes later. The shower was short, but refreshing. She's tucked her damp hair up into a bun and changed out of her dirty clothes into a pair of loose dark blue pants and a plain purple t-shirt. She feels much better now about eating with the Kazekage.<p>

Gaara is stirring something over the stove, so he doesn't see her immediately. "What are we having, Gaara?"

He turns slightly toward her and lifts up a spoon full of whatever is in the pot. "Soki soba. Although the dish shares the same name as the soba of Konoha, it is very different. The noodles are made of wheat instead of buckwheat flour, and then is served with broth and a number of toppings including pork, green onions, red ginger, and fish cake."

She snickers slightly under her breath. He's memorized an awful lot about Suna cuisine. He sounds like a cooking show host.

His face turns just a tad red and she realizes he heard her. "No one in my family cooks. I have learned a lot about the different meals served throughout Suna restaurants."

Oh, Kami help her. "A-ano, I was not laughing at you, Gaara. I-it….it was cute." She finishes lamely, not sure what else to say.

Apparently cute was the wrong word, because his face turns even redder and he quickly turns back to the stove.

Hinata isn't sure what else to say.

Then, "Tea?"

Her head shoots up. "Um, yes, please." She mumbles, trying to get the words out.

"Was everything acceptable to your needs?" He asks while he pours their tea into two pale green ceramic cups.

"Oh…yes, thank you. Everything is where you said it'd be."

A moment later he places a cup in front of her and then goes back to the stove for a brief second. He comes back with a two bowls full of what looks a lot like ramen.

"Please, enjoy."

Kankuro comes back minutes later from the hospital without a broken leg, and Temari arrives right after dinner, panting and demanding to know when Hinata arrived and where she was staying. The blonde fan-wielding kunochi is ecstatic to learn that her quiet friend is staying just down the hall for the time being.

Over the next few days, Hinata doesn't talk with the Kazekage much as Temari takes up almost all of her attention. She sees him at breakfast a few times, and several times he takes her to the orphanage again to see the children. Even then, the energetic Kiyomi requires most of her attention. The blonde completely idolizes Hinata and she sort of reminds her of Hanabi. During the rest of the week Temari fills up her schedule with tours of the village and all of its amenities. They spend one full day exploring Suna's famous hot springs and day spa, the Desert Oasis. Temari takes her shopping to find more desert appropriate attire. At night, Hinata writes lesson plans for the upcoming week. The days quickly fly by, and then it's her first day of class.

Hinata wakes up anxious.

She takes a quick, cold shower and dresses for the day. Temari has taught her how to dress in layers in order to adapt to the desert climate. The first layer is a mesh body suit, like she's always worn. The second layer is a pale lavender kimono-esque dress that just barely brushes against her knees. There is a slit up the left side that stops mid-thigh. When she slips it on she thinks of Kurenai and smiles. Her pseudo-mother is always telling her to wear something more flattering, and she thinks this might fit the bill. A black sash is wrapped around her waist, and finally she slips on her new black ninja boots. The boots go up to the middle of her shin and the small heel adds an inch to her height. She finally ties her hair up into a bun, using two senbon to keep it secure. There's no reason a hair style can't be functional, she reasons to herself.

All three of the Sabaku siblings are waiting for her downstairs. Temari has managed to cook something that resembles eggs, bacon, and toast, though throughout the meal they all tease the blonde for the slightly burnt toast. Kankuro and Temari leave almost immediately after breakfast, both profusely apologizing for the fact that they have a mission and won't be home that evening. In fact, they won't be home for most of the week. Hinata doesn't miss the dirty looks the two send their youngest brother, but Gaara simply sips his jasmine tea (his favorite, she's quickly realized. He almost drinks more of the fragrant stuff than Neji) and waves them on.

When they're both gone, he sets down his cup and leans back in his chair just a little. "How are you feeling, Hinata-san?"

"Nervous," She admits. Gaara isn't terribly perceptive when it comes to the feelings of others, but she feels like being honest with the Kazekage. He's not a very judgmental man and it's very refreshing after the criticizing stares of her fellow clan members. "I'm worried I won't do a good job."

Gaara snorts and then leans forward, his hands folded together. She can imagine him in the same position at his desk in the Kazekage tower.

"Hinata-san, I have only known you for a week, but you strike me as an extremely capable person. I think these children are privileged to have a sensei as caring as you."

The Kazekage's words leave her speechless. "G-gaara…"

Then he flushes slightly and drop his gaze to the table. "As Temari and Kankuro will be absent this evening, would you like to eat out for dinner?"

For a brief moment, Hinata thinks he might mean a date, but that's preposterous. He's the Kazekage, and she's just some Konoha castoff who works for him. He's just being polite.

"That…that would be nice, Gaara." She smiles timidly.

He gives one nod of his head and stands up, collecting his dishes. "I was thinking we might try a different restaurant tonight other than Rokuro's BBQ. Do you have any preferences?"

"Oh! Ano, I…" She starts fiddling with the ends of her sleeves. Hinata _hates_ making decisions like this – it feels like she's imposing too much. What if she suggests something he hates and he eats it anyway to keep her happy? The Kazekage has been much too kind to her for that sort of thing. She tries to remember what he's mentioned about himself. She dimly recalls him saying something about not liking seafood. Well, what does he like then?

"What is your favorite food, Gaara?" She blurts out before she can think the question through. When the words leave her mouth, she blushes furiously. That was probably too forward.

"….BBQ." He says after a few moments. "Gizzard, specifically."

Oh. Well then.

"We could…go to a different BBQ restaurant?" She offers.

The red-haired man places his dishes in the sink and then gives her a faint smile. "Hinata-san, I asked what you wanted, not what I wanted. What is _your_ favorite dish?"

"E-eh?" Is he _trying_ to fluster her?" "Um…I like cinnamon buns…."

"There's a decent bakery near the school, and there's a ramen stand next to it that Naruto likes to frequent when he's here. Is that acceptable?"

Hinata doesn't hear the rest of his words, because her body tenses up and her blood turns to ice at the mention of the blue-eyed Hero of Konoha.

"_Not_ ramen."

The Kazekage looks a bit surprised, and Hinata wonders if her tone was a little too harsh. Well, that's alright. She came to Suna to forget about Naruto, not to be reminded of him at every turn.

"Well," He begins slowly. "There is also a dumpling stand near the bakery that Kankuro likes."

"That would be perfect."

They don't move for several moments. The silence settles over them like the morning fog on a spring morning in Konoha, and she worries she's ruined the fragile almost-friendship she has with Gaara.

"You dislike being reminded of Naruto." It's not a question.

The only response she gives him is a brief nod.

"I was told you loved him."

She squeezes her eyes shut. She doesn't want to talk about this, she doesn't want to talk about how she offered her heart and got stabbed in the back instead. She thinks about the conversation she had with Shikamaru about the same issue on the way to Suna. He doesn't know the whole story, no one does. And that's probably for the best.

"Not...not anymore." Because she can't. Because she _won't_.

Her eyes are still shut, which explains why she doesn't notice when Gaara moves from the sink to her side. He's so quiet that she has no warning when he slides one hand under her chin to tilt her face up.

Her eyes shoot open upon his touch and his gaze feels like what a Chidori to the heart must feel like.

"I don't know what he did to lose your affection," He murmurs, his voice husky and low. "Perhaps it is what drove you here; I do not care. But do not let his memories ruin your life. I almost let my past ruin me. I will not allow that to happen to you."

She's sobbing in his arms before she can even recognize that tears are streaming down her face, and his arms feel rock solid and real around her waist. It feels as if she can't breathe, as if she's drowning in her tears and the memories of what Naruto did to her. But Gaara doesn't say anything as she buries her face in his robes. He just strokes her back and holds her as she tries to forget the hands of another on her body.

"I don't love him," She whispers, almost too quietly for him to hear. "I won't. I _can't_."

When she's done crying, she pushes back from him and wipes at her face with the back of her hands.

"I'm sorry, Gaara, I –"

"Do not apologize." He says, interrupting her smoothly. "Naruto is very important to me, Hinata, but I respect you. Whatever he has done to you to make you hurt in such a way is clearly unacceptable."

"You are very kind." She reaches to use her sleeve to wipe the rest of the tears off of her face, but he stops her with one hand and reaches up with the other, a napkin in hand. He's incredibly gentle with her, as if he is afraid she might break.

Then he laughs, but it is a morose, dark laugh. "You are among a minority who think so, Hinata." His arm drops to his side.

She likes that he isn't using a suffix for her name anymore. She's not quite sure why, but it makes her happy.

He glances to the clock hanging on the wall to their left, and then slings his gourd over his shoulder. "I will walk you to the Academy."

The walk is relatively silent, but it's nice. The sun is just now starting to rise over the village, and it bathes the village in an attractive soft yellow light.

"If you need anything," Gaara says, cutting off the peaceful silence. "Do not hesitate to let me know."

For some reason, she thinks he's not just talking about the Academy. "I will."

They reach the Academy moments later, and inside Hinata places her bag on the desk in the front of the room.

"The students should start arriving soon," She begins taking out her folders and papers and organizes them on a neat pile on her desk. "Are you ready for your speech?"

"Yes." As per custom, Gaara is going to give a welcoming speech to the new class of students and their parents. "I've given it several times before."

She can hear the "but" hanging off of his lips. "But…"

"But this is the first class that has so many orphans in it. It feels…" He seems to be searching for the right words. "It feels like I've failed them."

She doesn't have time to tell him that those kind of thoughts are stupid and that he's certainly not a failure (she knows what failure looks like and it's not him), because at that moment the door opens.

Hinata takes a deep breath.

It's time.

* * *

><p>Gaara <em>hates<em> giving speeches.

He's not much of a talker to begin with, and on top of that he hates being stared at. Giving speeches is a terrible combination of both. Right now his throat feels dry and his heart feels incredibly heavy in his chest. There are so many children in front of him, and over the years, he's going to have to send many of them out to their deaths.

Sometimes, he really hates his job.

"It's been about two years since the Fourth Shinobi War ended," He begins slowly. "And it has been two years since the Academy has been operational. Today, that changes."

"The path of a shinobi is not a happy one. I will not lie to you about that. It is hard, painful work and it is possible that many of you will not graduate. Out of those who graduate, some will die in the battlefield. Some will watch friends die. Some might not be able to handle it and retire, and that is fine."

"To be a shinobi is to be a sacrifice. You live to protect others, to throw yourself in the line of fire to save the ones you love. And that is why so many choose this path. Though some die, it is so others can live. And we live honoring the memories of those that have fallen for us."

Gaara glances to the side and he catches sight of Hinata. She looks like she might be about to cry, but she's beaming at him so he takes a deep breath.

"Many of the students starting today understand this sacrifice on a personal level. There are not a few students here whose parents made the ultimate sacrifice during the war. And yet here they are, ready to follow in their parents footsteps. This is a kind of sacrifice I do not take lightly."

"As such, I have ensured that your children will be under the tutelage of one of the finest kunochi in the world. She is a newcomer to Suna, but I can assure you that your children could not have possibly hoped for a better sensei. Please welcome Hyuuga Hinata."

They had agreed earlier to use her old clan name in order not to confuse everyone. The audience wouldn't recognize the name Yuuhi.

As he had hoped, the crowd begins to whisper as Hinata steps from the shadows to the front of the room. She looks strong and beautiful and so, so far out of his league.

"Welcome, students." Her voice is soft and sweet, but an underlying note of steel keeps her from sounding fragile. "My name, as Kazekage-sama said, is Hyuuga Hinata, but you will call me Hinata-sensei. And as Kazekage-sama also mentioned, I am not from Suna, but Konoha. On top of this, I am both a new teacher and may seem very young to some of you. However, I am a kunochi. My age means nothing. Please do not doubt that I will do everything in my power to make sure that when your children reach the battlefield, they are prepared to fight."

Suddenly, one of the students calls out: "Is it true that you fought Pein?"

Hinata's eyes flash to gray and Gaara watches as some of the light fades from her face. "Yes."

The whispers begin again.

Uh-oh. Time to do some damage control.

"Please do not ask your sensei such questions," He says quickly. "The war is something we want to move on from. We want to learn from it, but it is not necessary to bring up such painful memories."

The parents and students fall silent.

"At this time, I ask that parents say their goodbyes and that students get their consent forms out. Remember, if you do not have a consent form, you will not be able to stay in class." He finishes sort of lamely, but that's alright. It's time to get this over with.

It takes a good twenty minutes, but finally all the parents are gone, the paperwork has been dealt with, and it's time for him to return to his office.

The students are currently talking amongst themselves, so Gaara takes this opportunity to say goodbye to Hinata. "I will meet you outside at six."

"Ok." She nods for a moment. "And Gaara…"

"Hmm?" He is about to head out the door, but he stops for a moment to listen to what she has to say.

"No matter what you may think, you never failed them."

* * *

><p><strong>fin. <strong>

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><p><em>Review and I will love you forever. :)<em>

_- dreameratheart_


	5. Don't Let Me Fall

_Ha! I did it! I updated the next day like I promised!_

_...ok, so it's ten minutes to midnight, but I did it! And it's like a thousand words shorter than last chapter, but still..._

_Anyway, I'm glad you guys don't think I'm moving their relationship too fast. I HATE those fics where the characters just fall in love at first sight. Whatever. That's stupid. So I'm trying to pace myself, but I think it's time to get them together, don't you? And I think traumatic events help bond people. I feel like Hinata is sort of reaching for Gaara because she needs someone, and Gaara wants to believe he could find love._

_So this contains actual plot. What you read will play a pretty big part in this fic. Feel free to post any hypothesis on who is behind what happens. :)_

_This chapter also is kind of not good. It's just not very my style I guess. It feels sort of detached to me; is anyone else getting that feeling?_

_Finally, thanks to all the wonderful, wonderful people who reviewed: blackirishawk, Rainclaw321, el H.H, Shippooliver, BK-Black Kniht, chellythemadhatter, XpurplegurlX, in your dreams as well, violet404 (haha sorry you won't see the dinner...), CartoonistGirl6, aryaputra (in the first chapter you can see that Naruto was the one who told Gaara), Hyuga09, deshy07, iKyoheii, Jay-Boogie, and SasuHina4evr._

_I'll try to update again really soon. On Friday I'm leaving for spring break and won't be able to update for awhile, so I'm trying to make up for it now. _

_Enjoy!_

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><p><strong>Don't Let Me Fall<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"But if I should break<br>If I should fall away  
>What am I to do?<br>I need someone to take  
>A little of the weight<br>Or I'll fall through."_

_- Lenka_

* * *

><p>When Gaara leaves, Hinata forces herself to walk back to her desk and pick up the clipboard that contains the attendance sheet.<p>

"Quiet down now, everyone."

It's surprising when they listen. All forty of them are quiet almost immediately, their eyes focused on her. The staring is a little unnerving.

"Today we're going to start out getting to know one another. It is important that shinobi work together, and this is easiest if you know a little something about who you are working with. When I call out your name, tell me something you like, something you dislike, and why you want to be a shinobi."

It's more or less what Kurenai had asked her team when they had first met. She, Kiba, and Shino had been friends for years, so it'd been mainly for Kurenai's benefit more than anything else. Still, the memory of her team's formation made her smile.

"I'll go first. My name is Hinata, and I like gardening and cinnamon buns. I dislike people who call others weak, and I wanted to be a shinobi because I wanted to protect my friends and family. Now, first will be Abukara Sozui."

A taller boy with a shock of white hair raises his hand. "Um, I'm Sozui, I like cooking, I don't like getting wet, and I want to be a shinobi because my dad was one."

This is a common enough reason to enroll in the Academy, but Hinata has a feeling that Sozui will quit the Academy in about a year. The kids who try to be shinobi just to please their parents normally last about that long. But Sozui will probably become a chef or something and will be happy, despite not following in his father's footsteps.

"Akiyama Umeko."

This one is a girl whose night-black hair is pulled into a loose ponytail. Hinata recognizes the dark-eyed girl from the orphanage.

"I'm Umeko. I like traning. I dislike fake people. I want to be a shinobi because I want to die with honor like my parents."

Hinata doesn't know whether to laugh or to cry.

"How many of you want to be shinobi for the same reasons as Akiyama-san?"

More than a handful of students raise their hands.

"Then I'm going to ask you to leave before you waste any of my time."

One could hear a pin drop in the resulting silence.

This kind of attitude infuriates Hinata, and that anger builds up inside her as she speaks. "I am not going to waste my time teaching you how to die. Dying is easy. That is not what being a shinobi is about. Being a shinobi is about living. It is about fighting harder than your opponent because it is better to live to protect your loved ones another day than to die with honor. _That_ is what I am going to teach you. I am going to teach you to _live._ To survive another day. Anyone who feels that this sort of teaching isn't for them has my invitation to leave. Now."

No one gets up, and Umeko looks like she might cry. Hinata is glad. She wants them to be scared. They should be.

But still, it's only their first day. "There is no shame in deciding you don't want to be a shinobi," She tries to soften her voice so that she doesn't sound so angry. "But if you choose to follow this to the end, I will do everything I can to teach you the things you need to know to defend your village and the people you love."

She stays silent for a moment to let her words sink in. And then;

"Next is Chiba Kiko."

The day goes on without a hitch. Hinata learns that Kiyomi likes practicing her "ninja skills" and hates bugs and bratty little kids. She wants to be a shinobi so she can "be strong and kick-ass like Hinata-sensei!", and that makes Hinata's heart ache just a bit. They take a pre-test to see where they are in terms of knowledge of shinobi techniques, and then they have lunch. Hinata takes this chance to watch how they group up – after all, she'll have to create teams based on her observations. There are several groups of girls that drift off towards one side of the room. Most of the boys sit on the other side, and she notices that a tall, outspoken boy with nearly white eyes and red-tipped blonde hair seems to be the leader. He apparently has said something rather amusing, because a bunch of other boys who surround him burst out in laughter. She remembers his name to be Ibuka Mitsuo. Scattered throughout the room are a few groups of two or three and several students are sitting by themselves. One student she recognizes from the orphanage hangs in the very back, quietly eating his lunch. Curry rice, it appears. She doesn't quite remember his name (she does have forty students, after all), but he looks especially familiar for some reason. Then Kiyomi runs over and takes up all of her attention until after lunch, when she shows them some of the basic techniques they'll be learning soon. She knows some of them will have had training from family, but she can't gauge their skills just yet. The time flies by and before she can blink she's dismissing the class and waving goodbye to Kiyomi from the Academy doorway.

With a heavy sigh, Hinata returns to her desk to grade the tests from earlier that day. When she takes her seat, she first takes a long drink from the water bottle she keeps on her desk. She's never talked this much in one day and her throat feels almost as dry as the desert surrounding the village.

It takes her a little over an hour to finish grading all of the tests. Hinata is rather pleased with the results; seven students have scored very well, including Kiyomi. She's clearly been doing her homework, and Hinata can't help but feel proud of the little girl she has been getting to know. The rest of the scores are about average, and a handful of students know very little. Only two students get truly poor scores, and she takes note of their names. She'll arrange some special tutoring for them later on to get them caught up with the rest of the class.

She stretches her arms up in the air and glances at the clock. It's a little after five, so she has about an hour until dinner. Until then…maybe she could go visit the orphanage again. The last time she was there she read to some of the children. She'd had fun doing that.

Once her papers are in order and her desk is cleared off, Hinata grabs her bag to put her folders in. But something keeps her from putting the papers inside the bag. Frowning, she glances inside. At the bottom rests a scroll she doesn't recognize.

"That's odd." She mutters, picking the scroll up.

The scroll is only loosely sealed, so the moment she picks it up it unrolls, one half falling to the floor.

Hinata leans down and picks up the other end of the scroll and stretches it out so she can read the message.

And as her eyes scan the paper, her mouth opens and she screams.

* * *

><p>Gaara normally doesn't mind the piles of paperwork he has to do. It allows him some peace and quiet, and on evenings he doesn't want to see his siblings, he has a ready excuse.<p>

But today, he loathes it.

He's actually excited about having dinner with Hinata tonight. He doesn't deny that he's attracted to her physically – who wouldn't be? – but more importantly, he wants to know more about her.

Gaara has gone out with various women before. Some from the village, some not. Most are just interested in his position and the prestige that comes along with being in a relationship with the Kazekage. And even the ones that aren't don't get that far. When he thinks about it, the most dates he's ever gone on with one girl is three. But with Hinata, he could see himself doing more than just a few half-assed dates.

He knows he's not in love with the blunette. Or at least not yet. But there's something between them and he wants to find out what it is.

But nothing is going to happen unless he finishes this damn paperwork.

"Damn it." He mutters to himself, glancing at the clock. It's already five o'clock, and he kind of wanted to surprise her a little early. And there's still a stack of paperwork that isn't done yet.

Screw it. It's paperwork; it can wait another day.

"Maiko-san, I will be leaving for the day now." He finally knows the name of his assistant.

"Have a good night, Gaara-sama!" The girl chirps as he exits the building, his robes flying behind him.

It's just a little breezy tonight, and it feels wonderful. He wonders if Hinata would like to see the view from the top of the Kazekage tower. It's one of the best spots to watch the sunset in Suna, but it might be too romantic for a first date. Is it even a first date? Does she know that he thinks of this as a date? Oh, shit. Maybe she doesn't. That would really suck. Maybe he could sort of drop some kind of hint that it's a date. He could bring some flowers with him, but he's just about to the Academy and it would be silly to turn around and -

A high-pitched scream interrupts his train of thought and his eyes shoot to the origin of the cries.

The Academy.

"_Hinata_."

It takes him mere seconds to reach the Academy and to race to her classroom.

"Hinata!"

She has her back pressed up against the blackboard behind the desk and one hand covering her mouth. Her eyes are trained on something lying on the floor on the other side of her desk, but he can't see what it is from his location.

Whatever it is, it'll have to wait.

Gaara rushes to her side and she doesn't fight him when he begins checking her for wounds. "Are you harmed? What happened? I was on my way over and I heard you cry out."

"N-no. I'm o-ok." But she's practically shaking and her eyes are still on whatever scared her so badly. Frowning, Gaara turns to see what it is.

It appears to be a scroll, lying upwards so its message is exposed. He lets go of Hinata for a moment to see what it says.

_"Tick tock, Hinata. Your time is almost up."_

And if the message itself weren't creepy enough, it looks to be written in blood.

"I-it was in my b-bag," Hinata stutters out from behind him. "I don't k-know where it c-came from."

There are scientists at the hospital that will be able to test the blood for identification. "I will assign a team to figure out where it came from. Who had access to your bag today?"

When he turns back around toward her he realizes she's still shaking, and he immediately takes her by the arm and helps her sit down. She takes a few calming breathes before speaking again. "It was in the classroom all day. The only time I left the classroom was to stand outside while the students left."

"So anyone who knew you'd be here today could've snuck in at that time."

"Mhmm." She wraps her arms around herself and he has to resist the urge to pull her onto his lap and comfort her.

"It could've been a student or parent as well, but I do not believe anyone has a grudge against you or Konoha. If anything, everyone I saw today was in awe of you."

This makes her blush and he figures she isn't used to praise. "I don't think it could've been a student."

"You're probably right."

They sit – well, she sits and he stands – in silence for a moment, and he tries to think of something comforting to say. But what do you say to someone who has received a threatening letter written in blood?

"I'm sorry this happened to you, Hinata." He finally says in a soft voice. "I imagine it was frightening."

"It did startle me," She admits. She stands up and leans against the wall, crossing her arms at the same time. "I don't know why it scared me so much. I'm a kunochi. I jump into battles without flinching, but this…"

"It's different. This is personal. Someone is trying to scare you, and may actually be trying to harm you. You have every right to be scared."

She shivers and this time he does pull her close to him. She seems grateful for the contact, because she relaxes and rests her head against his shoulder. Her hands lay flat against his chest, and she grips his robes tightly

"Thank you." It's almost a whisper, but he hears her. He doesn't say anything in response and instead just enjoys the way she fits in his arms. This is the second time he's held her while she was upset, and as awful as it is, he definitely enjoys it.

After a few minutes she stops shaking completely. "I think I'm ok now." She whispers.

But she doesn't move, so neither does he. People may not be in complete and utter fear of him now,but he does not get much human contact. He decides he really likes it.

"Do you still want to go out tonight, or would you prefer to eat at home? I can make something or we could order in."

"Maybe…I could cook could something, if you like?" She asks, almost nervously.

When she speaks, her breath brushes against his skin. It gives him goose bumps.

"That would be fine. I will meet you at home after I drop off the scroll at the lab – we will have the writing tested to see if it is truly blood, and if we can identify who it belongs to."

She tightens her grip on his robes and he knows that she's not comfortable being alone right now.

"On second thought, I'll send a clone to do it."

Hinata backs up out of his arms and with a few hand signs, a second Gaara stands in the room. Gaara gives the clone his instructions and the scroll, and then picks up Hinata's bag.

"Let's go home."

* * *

><p><strong>Fin.<strong>

* * *

><p><em>So...review please!<em>

_- dreameratheart_


	6. Crush

**_PLEASE READ_**

_I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. I really am. But it's been a really tough couple of months for me, and I was only able to write this chapter yesterday (which is why it's so short and so, so bad. I almost feel bad for publishing it). _

_About a week after I got back from vacation, my uncle's fiancee Isabella got sick. __Izzy and my uncle had been together for five years. I consider her my aunt, and she and my uncle were going to finally tie the knot this year._

_Izzy was diagnosed with AIDs early in June._

_For me, AIDs was sort of like the boogeyman. Teachers and parents tell you "Don't have sex, you'll get AIDs and die!" but no one actually cares. Even though I live on the East Coast, close to New York and DC, I'd never known anyone who had AIDs and died. We had medication now. People could live with AIDs and be fine. _

_Izzy died three weeks ago._

_I've had sort of a tough time dealing with it, and working on my stories just hasn't been able to happen. Besides dealing with Izzy's illness, I also graduated from high school, went to work, and started preparing for college._

_I know it sounds like a bunch of excuses, but that's what happened._

_Anyway, I'm starting to write again. This chapter isn't very good because I really just wanted to get an update out there, but the upcoming chapters should be much better. The real excitement will probably start in about two chapters (this fic is gonna be on the longer side)._

_A huge thanks to Eleoopy by the way, whose message inspired me to start writing again. She (I assume) has been an avid reviewer of my stories and this chapter happened pretty much because of her. So because of her awesomeness, I'm gonna write a one-shot of her choice. Any hetero-Hinata pairing you want, just gimme the prompt. I just don't do yuri because it makes me feel weird to write it._

_And also thanks to Eleoopy, I've decided to have a little contest. Since I want to write more one-shots, for every chapter I'm going to pick a reviewer and do a one-shot of their choice, same thing as with Eleoopy. I also need story covers, so if anyone can come up with a story cover and I use it, I'll give you a one-shot then too._

_Also, a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. I'm not going to list the names this time because there are too many, but having all of you guys giving me feedback really kept my spirits up while Izzy was sick._

_You guys are awesome. Thanks._

* * *

><p><strong>Crush<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"Has it ever crossed your mind<br>When we're hanging,  
>Spending time, girl, are we just friends?<br>Is there more? Is there more?"_

_- David Archuleta_

* * *

><p>As they walk home, Gaara keeps her hand wrapped his own. Hinata isn't sure how she feels about this.<p>

Gaara is certainly kind. This morning he let her cry all over him about something that was totally not his concern. And then after she found the scroll with that disturbing message, he once again provided comfort when it wasn't his problem.

But it feels like the beginning of something, and it scares her almost more than the bloody message.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" He says suddenly.

Startled, she blinks up at him and tries to form a response. "Ano, I –"

He lets go of her hand, and the emptiness left bothers her, but she doesn't take his hand back.

"Your apartment will be ready tomorrow, but I'd feel more comfortable if you stayed at my home for now. We won't know until at least tomorrow afternoon if the scroll was a prank or a legitimate threat. I don't want to take any risks."

Hinata has actually forgotten all about her apartment. The Kazekage's home feels right to her. It's warm and colorful and Temari and Kankuro feel like her own siblings.

"I'd feel more comfortable with that too." She admits. She's frustrated with her fear; she was in ANBU! She's a kami-damned assassin! She shouldn't be afraid of anything, let alone a silly letter!

But still, there's something about it that bothers her. Maybe it's the chakra residue that made her shiver. Maybe it's the idea that one of her students wanted to mess with her.

Regardless, it leaves Hinata with a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She's still thinking about it when they get to the Kazekage's mansion. Gaara holds the door open for her when they arrive - he's really quite a gentleman - and she drops her bag by the front door before taking off her shoes.

"There's plenty of food in the refrigerator." Gaara says quietly. "Please let me know if there are any ingredients you need."

Hinata nods half-heartedly and opens the door to the fridge. She bites her bottom lip and scans the inventory. It looks like Gaara keeps his kitchen stocked with fresh food, and she's kind of impressed, considering that most male shinobi she knows are hopeless in the kitchen.

"Do you have any curry powder?" She asks without taking her focus from the contents of the fridge. "I could make curry rice."

"I'll check." The closeness of Gaara's voice indicates that he's in the kitchen with her. A cabinet opens. "Yes, we do. Would you like me to put the rice on?"

She begins pulling out the ingridents - peppers, chicken, potatoes, carrots - and places them on the counter. "Yes, please."

While Hinata begins chopping vegtables, Gaara puts on the rice and afterwards the water for the curry.

She almost laughs. If someone told her she'd be cooking with the Kazekage a month ago, she would've thought they were crazy. Now, she finds she's kind of enjoying herself. Gaara has a warm, comforting presence and being around him is sort of nice.

About a half hour later she sets the table while Gaara finishes preparing the food, and five minutes later they sit across from one another at the table.

The curry tastes better than usual to Hinata. Maybe the Suna peppers are fresher or maybe this brand of curry is of higher quality than what she usually uses, but she likes to think that it's better because she cooked with someone else.

Hinata swallows down a mouthful of food and then stares down at her plate. "I enjoyed cooking with you this evening." She says finally before pushing some of her rice around on her plate.

Gaara doesn't say anything for a moment and she thinks maybe she's said the wrong thing. Maybe she's getting too personal too fast?

"I also enjoyed cooking." Hinata snaps her head up, suprised. Gaara has his eyes cast away from her. He looks a little nervous, but it's probably just her mind playing tricks. "I don't do it very often." He continues. "Perhaps...perhaps we could do it again another night."

Hinata can feel her face turning red. "That would be nice." She ducks her head again and quickly fills her mouth with another fork-full of curry as an excuse to stay silent.

Luckily, Gaara fills the silence himself. "Since we did not have the chance to go to the bakery, we could have ice cream instead. Temari usually keeps several pints in the freezer."

Ooohhh, that sounds nice. She could use some sugar after the long day she's had.

"That sounds perfect." She allows herself to give him a small smile, one he returns.

"Would you..." Ok, maybe he really is nervous. The Kazekage pulls at his collar and stares down into his curry. "Would you like to watch a movie, to take your mind off of the scroll?"

Oh. Hinata struggles to keep herself form blushing. She's a grown woman for Kami's sake, but there is something about the way that Gaara looks up at her that makes her heart feel a little funny.

"Ah, what movie did you have in mind?" She brings herself to reply, and she ends up blushing though she is unsure why.

Gaara lets out a breath, as if he had been holding it in. "Kankuro has an extensive collection. I know he recently bought a few horror movies last week...would you be interested in that?"

"S-sure." Hinata nearly smacks herself. What in the name of the Hokage is going on with her? Blushing and stuttering?

"I'll clear the table." She stands up quickly and begins to gather her dishes.

Gaara nods. "I will get out the ice cream and set up the movie."

Luckily for Hinata, the next ten minutes pass in silence as Gaara moves from the kitchen to the living room as she tidies up the dishes. It allows her to take a moment to clear her head.

Clearly, the Kazekage is stirring up feelings in her that she thought she had buried along with her love for Naruto. She's only known him for a short time, after all. And just because he has been so kind to her does not mean he is flirting. But perhaps...perhaps a small crush is not such a bad thing.

Taking a deep breath, she returns to the dishes.

* * *

><p>Gaara is rather proud of himself.<p>

Even if it isn't a real date, he's pulled off something that almost resembles one. Cooking dinner was nice and everything, but the movie idea was a stroke of genius if he does say so himself. Perhaps, if it goes well, he can ask her on an actual date.

Hinata gives him one of her gentle smiles when he hands her a bowl of vanilla ice cream before they settle on the living room couch. "Thank you, Gaara. You've been so kind to me today."

He has to wonder if he's blushing. The sensation of blood rushing to his cheeks is not a familiar one. "It is not a problem, Hinata. You have been through a long day."

The movie begins to play and for the next hour, they sit in companiable silence.

The movie is about half way over when Hinata leans against him, and at first, Gaara's heart beats so quickly he thinks it may quit on him. And then he realizes that the blunette resting her head on his shoulder is asleep.

Gaara can't help but smile. He's not suprised that she passed out on him; she's had an incredibly long day, as he told her before, and she could use the rest.

When the movie ends an hour later, Hinata is still sound asleep, cuddled against him. Although he is no longer feared as he was in the past, most people still avoid physical contact with him, so it feels unusually nice.

It's getting late, and he considers waking her up. But then he catches sight of her peaceful expression and that idea flies out the window.

He stands up cautiously and is careful not to wake her when he picks up the sleeping woman. She feels incredibly light and he marvels at how well she fits into his arms.

Her bedroom door is cracked open already, so he pushes it all the way open with his foot. She makes a small noise when he lays her down on her bed and he freezes, praying that he hasn't woken her.

Hinata turns over on her side and he lets out a sigh of relief. She does look a little cold, however, so he places a blanket over her and quickly lets himself out of her room.

When he closes the door behind him, he lets out a deep breath. Damn it. He's never really had feelings for a girl before. How the hell is he supposed to do this?

He runs a hand through his hair and sighs heavily. Forget it. He's going to bed.

* * *

><p><strong>Fin.<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Please review! Don't forget about the contest. :)<em>

_- dreameratheart_


	7. Strange and Beautiful

_The first thing I want to say is thank you. I really appreciate all of the condolences my awesome reviewers left. You guys are the best. A long time ago my goal was to have a story with one hundred reviews, and I've gone over that mark! Also, the reviewer I picked for the one-shot contest was Nandiz. She was the first to review this time and I was really happy to see people are still reading my stories. :)  
><em>

_This chapter is a tad bit longer than my usual chapters, but for good reason. I'm trying to speed up the relationship between Gaara and Hinata a bit. I think it works. If anyone thinks I'm moving too fast, please let me know. _

_I'll probably update again this Thursday, so look for my update!_

_Before you start reading, I just wanted to add something I forgot in my last author's note: get tested for AIDS. If you think you might have ever been exposed to it, get tested. The disease laid dormant in Izzy's body for years before it killed her. If we had known earlier, she could've gotten medication to prevent dying so early. _

_Anyway, please enjoy._

* * *

><p><strong>Strange and Beautiful<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"I've been watching your world from afar,<em>  
><em>I've been trying to be where you are,<em>  
><em>And I've been secretly falling apart, unseen."<em>

_- Aqualung_

* * *

><p>The test results are on Gaara's desk the next morning.<p>

He isn't surprised when he reads that the message Hinata had found in her bag was written in human blood.

He _is_ surprised, however, to find that it was written in the blunette's own blood.

Gaara tucks one hand under his chin and frowns as he taps his pen on the report. It doesn't make any sense. It's fairly obvious that Hinata didn't write the message herself. What purpose would that serve?

There's no way of knowing how old the blood is, and this troubles him. If the blood is old, then perhaps someone stole a vial of it from the hospital in Konoha. If it's new...

If the blood is new, then someone recently has had their hands on her. Someone has knocked her out - she wakes up at the presence of unfamiliar chakra, he remembers, so it's the only option - and drained her of her blood.

The thought of it makes him clench his fists, though he doesn't realize it until he breaks his pen and the ink spills over his hand, looking like black blood.

Sighing, Gaara wipes his hand off with a tissue and turns back to the report. He's going to have to ask Hinata to come to the hospital after class. His medics will check her body for the sort of marks needles leave.

He's also going to have to assign someone to investigate the matter further. That's going to be a pain. It's going to need to be someone he trusts, and that number, despite his growth in popularity as of late, is a small one.

Luckily, Kankuro returns early from his mission that afternoon.

"Here's your fucking report." He snarls before slamming a scroll down on his desk. Gaara can't help but be amused by his brother's anger.

Granted, if he was as soaking wet as Kankuro is, he'd probably be sort of pissy too.

"Did you fall into a puddle, Kankuro?" He laughs and leans back when the infuriated brunette takes a swipe at his neck.

"Shut up, pipsqueak!" He nearly growls and it just makes Gaara laugh again.

Really, his brother is _hilarious_.

"There was a kunochi. And she had a thing for water. And apparently these clothes are never gonna be dry, because I walked through the fucking desert and I'm still fucking wet." His brother collapses into one of the chairs across from Gaara's desk and continues whining as a puddle begins to form beneath him.

"That's an interesting story, Kankuro." Gaara doesn't bother masking his snicker when Kankuro rubs at his face, smearing his purple make-up.

Then he glances down at the test results from earlier and his laughter fades.

"Unfortunately, I have a story to tell as well."

Kankuro reacts appropriately when Gaara informs him of the disturbing scroll Hinata had found in her classroom, and of the means used to write the message.

"Dude." Kankuro whistles, eyebrows raised. His hood is off now, and the effect doesn't look as comical as it might if he had his make-up on. "That's creepy as fuck. Poor Hinata."

Then, because Kankuro is Kankuro, he leans forward and smiles lecherously. "So did you _comfort_ her, Gaara? Did you tuck her into bed, if you know I mean?"

When he wiggles his eyebrows, Gaara utilizes his sand to send his brother flying to the wall across the room.

Outside the office doors, one of the guards blinks slowly when the door behind him rattles.

"Please refrain from speaking about Hinata in that sort of manner, Kankuro. I would appreciate it." He says politely.

Kankuro picks himself up off the ground, panting. He looks like he's going to say something stupid, so Gaara raises a nonexistent eyebrow.

In spite of his lack of hair, the effect is still satisfactory. Kankuro shuts up and takes his seat once more, though he grumbles as he does it.

Gaara smiles.

"In any case, I believe this is no mere prank. This has the signature of a much older shinobi, one who understands mind games. Why else would Hinata's own blood have been used, other than to prove who has the power?"

Kankuro nods slowly, and Gaara moves forward with his idea. "In my experience, this sort of message is only the beginning, so I'd like you to look into the issue, Kankuro. There is a chakra sensor in Konoha - Karin, I believe her name is - and I'd like you to bring her here. She may be able to compare any chakra residue on the scroll with the chakra signatures of Hinata's student. Although I do not believe one of her student's is directly behind this, it's possible one was used to place it in her bag."

Kankuro makes a noise of agreement. "I know the girl you speak of. One of the Uchiha's old teammates. She became a Konoha shinobi after the war. I'll leave for Konoha in the morning."

Gaara leans back in his chair, satisfied with Kankuro's cooperation. "I would appreciate it, Kankuro, if news of the scroll stayed private. Karin and Tsunade should be the only ones outside of Suna to know of it, as of this moment."

Kankuro gives him a mock salute and heads for the door. "Sure thing, pipsqueak."

When the door swings shut, Gaara sighs heavily.

Time for more paperwork.

* * *

><p>Hinata isn't really surprised when she steps out of the school to find the Kazekage waiting for her.<p>

"Any more surprises?" He asks, eyeing the bag that hangs over her shoulder.

She shakes her head. Thank Kami for that. Actually, the day had gone pretty well. The kids had all been well-behaved (outside of a few small incidences, of course), and she'd been able to start them on the basics of hand seals that day. Tomorrow, they would each show her at least three hand seals from memory. She hopes to have the entire class memorize all of them by the end of the month at the latest.

"Today was peaceful, actually." They begin walking away from the school and she assumes towards home until Gaara gently places his hand on the small of her back and steers her in another direction.

His touch sends sparks flying up her spine and she shivers in response. He jerks away from her, his face flaming. "Ah, I'm sorry, I just - the dango stall, from yesterday -"

She is equally flustered. "No! I, ah, it's fine, I just - did you get the test results back today?" She blurts the question out before fully thinking it through, only wanting to move the conversation on.

The pink in Gaara's cheeks fades as quickly as it appeared, and he nods somberly. "I think that is a discussion best left for home." He says quietly.

Hinata takes in a sharp breath. Oh, Kami. This can't mean anything good if he wants privacy for simple test results.

Gaara at least has the mind to bring up a more positive topic. "How was Kiyomi in class today?"

She smiles to herself at the thought of the energetic girl. "She's very excited to learn." She says as they join a line of people under a striped white and green awning. "She insisted on showing me how many flips she could do during lunch." Gaara laughs and the sound is rather pleasing. "Which was ten." She adds. "Very impressive."

They move up in line. "Kiyomi's father died during the war." Gaara says softly, his eyes trained on the sign ahead of them. "Her mother was unable to handle the thought of living without her husband, and she killed herself."

Hinata can't help the gasp she lets out. "That poor girl." She resolves to help find a couple to adopt the blonde little girl with the sparkling green eyes. Kiyomi deserves parents who won't abandon her.

"Mmm." They reach the order window and Hinata waits patiently for Gaara to order for the both of them. When she holds out several coins to pay for her food, he shakes his head and pushes her hand away. Blushing, she drops the coins back into her bag.

He hands her a stick of dango and they begin walking again, in silence this time as they eat.

The dango is covered in sesame seeds, and it tastes both sweet and salty at the same time. It's different than the dango served at the cafe Anko had dragged her to in Konoha, but she likes it.

"Thank you." She says when her mouth isn't full. "This is delicious."

A small smile graces his face and she wills her heart to beat normally.

"I am glad you like it." They come to another building, this time with a small red and brown sign reading, "Tsukiko's Sweets".

Gaara holds the door open for her. "After you."

Gaara, Hinata has realized, has impeccable manners.

And a sweet tooth, she muses, after he orders a box of cinnamon buns for the morning and a box of chocolate-chip cookies for that evening.

"You like sweets." She says on the way home.

He nods and the blush on his face clashes terribly with his hair. Really, he blushes almost as much as her. It's kind of an accomplishment.

"When is your birthday?" It's sort of a sudden question, but she wants to make sure she remembers it.

"January nineteenth." He looks at her strangely. "Why?"

"Ah, I..." Oh, whatever. She might as well tell him. "I want to remember to bake a cake on your birthday."

He stares at her for a moment, and she almost ducks her head. Then he says something that surprises her.

"You are a good friend, Hyuuga Hinata." He says softly. There is something in his eyes that looks a little sad, and she wants to make it go away.

"I hope I can include you among them now." She replies, her voice just as soft.

He laughs, but it is that sweet sound she likes, not a mocking laugh. "Yes. I do believe we are friends now, Hinata."

They are almost to the house when his head snaps up, nearly startling her. "I apologize. I forgot to ask. When is your birthday, Hinata?"

She grins. "December twenty seventh. I'm a whole twenty three days older than you, Gaara."

They both laugh, and Hinata can't remember the last time she felt so relaxed with a person who wasn't her teammate.

When they reach the Kazekage's home, Gaara once again holds the door open for her, and like the day before, she drops her bag by the door and slips off her shoes.

Hinata tosses her trash from the dango and opens one of the cabinets, taking out two glasses. "Would you like something to drink, Gaara?"

The red-head is putting the cookies on a platter and he looks up. "Hm? Oh, ah, yes. Please."

Hinata giggles at his distracted response. "Milk or water?"

"Ah, milk."

A few minutes later, the two of them are laughing over milk and cookies at the dining room table.

"I haven't done this in years." Hinata dips one a cookie into her cup of milk and takes a bite. "It makes me feel like a little girl again."

Gaara smiles, something like nostalgia shining in his eyes. "I was never much of a child, but this sort of treat was always my favorite."

Hinata's laughter dies a little bit. "I suppose neither of us were children for very long, were we?" She says quietly.

Gaara sets his cup down and places his chin on his hand, resting his elbow on the table. He stares off into the distance, at something Hinata cannot see.

"You know," He begins softly. "It's almost funny how alike our lives were."

Startled at the abrupt shift in conversation, Hinata jerks up. "W-what?"

The leader of Suna turned his head furthur away from her. "I paid attention during the first Chuunin exams, Hinata." His voice is so quiet Hinata has to lean forward to hear him. "Your cousin, a person you considered your brother, tried to kill over something that was not your fault. In that respect, we are similar. But, in addition to the fact that our loved ones nearly killed us for things not under our control, we have also changed ourselves. We have survived against the odds when all expected us to fail," His eyes, a beautiful shade of sea foam green, flicker back open. "Especially our fathers."

Hinata is forced to put her glass down as her hands are shaking so much. The Kazekage, it seems, has been thinking of her for much longer than she had suspected.

She has always thought her life looked easy in comparison to the lives of those such as Gaara and Naruto; they had truly suffered, in her opinion. But perhaps...perhaps she is closer to Gaara than she previously thought.

"I did not know..." She trails off, unsure how to finish her sentence. Did not know what? That he had thought about her? That she had so much in common with him?

His face flushes just a bit. "I admire you and your strength, Hinata." He admits. "I had never been able to stand up to my opponents on an emotional level. At the time of the Chuunin exams, I simply used the demon inside me and brute force to deal with life. But you chose another path."

The handsome man sighs heavily and drops the his arm to the table. He stares at his hands, a thoughtful look on his face. "When I became Kazekage, I often thought of Naruto and his bravery. But in addtion, I also often thought of you."

Hinata can feel her face turning redder than it ever has before. "G-gaara, I..."

He suddenly looks panicked. "Oh, have I embaressed you? I apologize, I simply meant to express that -"

"No!" Her protest is a little too loud and a little to sudden, but she is on her feet now, hands slammed down on the table.

"Don't apologize." She breaths out. "Not for this."

She takes a few deep breaths to stable herself. Gaara's eyes are wide with shock and he hasn't said anything else yet.

"I've never had anyone say anything like that to me." She tries to put her feelings into words, but she's finding it an extremely difficult task. "No one..." She has to swallow down tears. Her heart feels swollen at his words, words no one has ever said to her, not even Naruto. "No one has ever admired me before. People say I'm kind, and they comment on my ability to be compassionate and even occasionally compliment my skills in battle."

"But to admire me..." It comes out a choked whisper. "Thank you, Gaara. I don't believe you know how much that means to me."

Gaara stands up as well and quickly moves around the table and suddenly his is very, very close to her. She can smell the chocolate on his breath and it sends a shiver down her spine.

"If...if it is not too much to ask..." He reaches for her hand and unlike the night before, she does not resist when he takes her hand into his. "May I take you out on a date tomorrow night?"

It's funny. She's only been living with the Kazekage for a few weeks, but the mansion feels more like home than the Hyuuga compound ever did, and the man who rules the deserts makes her feel cared for in a way Naruto never did.

She smiles shyly. "I would like that very much, Gaara."

He leans in a little closer, and for a brief second Hinata thinks he might kiss her. And for a brief second, she thinks she'd let him.

But instead, he lets out a deep breath and steps away, smiling tightly. "I think it may be time to discuss those test results."

* * *

><p><strong>Fin.<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Please review.<em>

_- dreameratheart_


	8. Where We Land

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I can't believe I've hit 135 reviews. That_ _feels unreal to_ _me. Also, the winner for this chapter is...AmaiNeiko! You can either pm me what prompt you want me to use or leave it in your review. It can be a long prompt, or just a word like I did for my GaaHina one-shots. _

_In any case, sorry that this is_ _later than I'd hoped. I ended up losing power before vacation, and I haven't had access to a computer in quite sometime._

_I'll probably update again really really soon though, because I want to get to the fun stuff. Trying to pace a relationship is hard. :( I should let you guys know that this is probably going to be a reallly long fic, like fifty chapters or something. I hope to have it done by Christmas time, if I update fast enough._

_Next chapter should also contain some things you guys have been waiting for! :D_

_Please enjoy._

* * *

><p><strong>Where We Land<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"Treat me beneath this clear night sky<em>  
><em>And I will lie with you<em>  
><em>I start to feel those butterflies<em>  
><em>When I'm next to you."<em>

_- Ed Sheeran_

* * *

><p>It takes every ounce of his willpower not to press his lips to Hinata's own raspberry-red ones. But this is a little too new and he doesn't want to do anything to scare her off, so he resists and she nods when he suggests they discuss the results from that morning.<p>

Still, when her back is to him as they head to the living room, he grins widely to himself and does a little internal cheer.

Because Sabaku no Gaara, the Demon Kage of Suna, has just successfully asked out a woman.

He can't wait to see Kankuro's face when he tells him.

The woman of his affections tucks her legs up beneath her on his couch and he sits down across from her. It'll be easiest if he can see her eyes when he breaks the news that the message that shook her so badly is written in her own blood.

"As you suspected," He begins slowly, still unsure how to tell her. "The message was written in blood."

Her skin does not pale, and she does not flinch. Clearly, this is what she suspected.  
>But still, Hinata swallows before speaking. "And was it..."<p>

"It was human." He whispers. This time, she sits up a little straighter, and her hands clench into fists. Her knuckles turn white under the pressure.

"Were you..." She inhales and lets the breath out slowly. "Were you able to identify who it came from?"

"That is where it gets strange." He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I do not know how to explain this, Hinata, but the blood belongs to you."

She does not move at first. She blinks, once, and then she falls back against the back of the couch.

"Mine." She looks ghost white and it is obvious to Gaara that she didn't expect this. "How...I don't understand."

Gaara runs a hand through his hair, which he needs to cut. The ends tickle against the bottom of his neck, just barely past his shoulders. "We cannot date the blood, so there is no knowing how they got it." He says softly. "Is it possible the blood was taken directly from you?"

"W-what?" She waves her hands in protest, and the look on her face is one of shock. "No! That isn't possible. I would've known."

"Still, I would like a medic to look you over." He says firmly, though he tries to keep his voice gentle. "But is there any possibility it was stolen from a hospital, perhaps? When was the last time you were there?"

Her eyes widen, and she sits back up and turns towards him. "I used to donate blood." She says breathlessly. "In Konoha, I donated every other month. My Genin team had a tradition of it; we all did it."

Gaara almost sighs with relief. That makes a lot more sense than someone stealing blood directly from her. "I'm sending Kankuro to Konoha in the morning - I think he's in his room right now, sleeping. I will have him check for thefts at the hospital when he arrives."

She giggles softly. "Did Kankuro ever tell you how we met?" She asks, a grin slowly growing on her face when he shakes his head in reply.

"Well, he was on a mission to Konoha and wanted a rematch with my teammate, Shino..."

* * *

><p>Hinata does not sleep well that night.<p>

For the first hour, her mind is filled with thoughts about the scroll. What does the message mean? Why was it written in her blood? Did someone actually steal her blood from the hospital?

Eventually, however, those thoughts fade from her mind and instead all she can think about is Gaara's blue-green eyes, and his inviting lips, and his soft pale skin...

She kind of wishes he had kissed her, but at the same time, she's glad he didn't. Oh, she's not afraid of the kiss - she's done that plenty of times. Hinata is a kunochi, not a naive virgin. She's had to use her skills in the bedroom before, and she had briefly been physically involved with Kiba after her first seduction mission.

But that's beside the point, and the point is that she is quickly falling for the pale man with the flaming red hair and the striking seafoam green eyes. And if he had kissed her, she would have been forced to admit that she really, really likes the man who she apparently has a date with tomorrow.

Hinata wakes up groggy and with bags under her eyes. When she makes her way to breakfast, Gaara is already gone for the morning and Kankuro greets her with an equally tired wave. They chat over breakfast and after swearing to find out what's going on with the scroll, he winks and tells her to "take care" of his baby brother.

When she arrives at the Academy, her blush still hasn't faded.

The school day is a blessed distraction. The students show off their hand seals, and Kiyomi throws in an extra hand seal, much to Hinata's joy. The blue eyed girl looks rather down that morning, so Hinata pulls her aside during lunch to praise her on her hand seals, and to ask her what's wrong.

Kiyomi folds her arms on the desk and lays her head down on top of them. Hinata follows her gaze out the window, to the children playing outside. Takao, the dark haired boy Hinata met at the orphanage, is one of them, and Kiyomi seems to be staring at him.

"Takao got adopted." The blonde says softly. "His new parents are both doctors. They're gonna pick him up after school today."

Oh, Kami. Hinata knows that many orphans don't get adopted; Naruto is a prime example of this. Kiyomi will be able to live on her own when she becomes a genin, but the life orphans live is a lonely one. And Kiyomi is already ten - statistics show that older children have a much lower chance of being adopted.

But she doesn't need to know that.

"I'm happy for him." Kiyomi continues. "He doesn't remember much about his parents cuz' his mom died in child birth and his dad died on a mission a couple years ago. He deserves to have a family."

But there is a certain darkness in the young girl's eyes that makes Hinata's throat clench up, because she once had to look the same sort of darkness in the mirror.

Kiyomi feels unwanted, and Hinata knows this feeling all too well.

She knows that there is nothing she can say to make her feel better, so instead Hinata draws the petite blonde in a tight hug.

When they part, Kiyomi wipes at tears she hasn't quite shed and smiles up at her. "Let's have lunch, neh, Hinata-sensei?"

All she can do is nod.

Several hours later, when the students have gone and she's planned out the next day's lesson, Hinata writes a letter to Kurenai.

It's sort of funny, she muses. Her sensei adopted her, and now she's thinking about adopting her own student.

Hinata knows it's a silly idea, but it's just an idea - so far, anyway. She's only eighteen. She's not even a permanent citizen of Suna. She's way too young to be adopting a ten year old girl.

But still...

Kiyomi is still on her mind when Gaara picks her up that evening. He's not wearing his usual robes, she notes. Instead, he's wearing a black dinner jacked and a white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up tucked into a pair of crisp black pants, and the tie around his neck is a shade of blue that reminds her faintly of the Suna sky at twilight. His gourd is absent, but they are in the desert after all. He has weapons all around him.

The Kazekage, Hinata decides with a rather severe blush, looks extremely attractive in civilian clothes.

He offers his arm out to her and her heart skips a beat when their skin touches. "Y-you look nice." She manages to mumble out the compliment, though she can't quite look him in the eyes when she does.

Gaara's face flushes slightly and he uses his free hand to brush some hair out of his face. "Thanks. Um, the place I thought we'd go to is semi-formal. I got you a dress. Temari told me your size a little while ago, and I wasn't sure if you had anything so..."

"W-what? Oh, Gaara, you didn't need to do that -"

"I wanted to!" He half-shouts. "Really. I just...I wanted to." His face reddens until his cheeks are nearly the same shade as his tattoo.

Oh, Kami help her. He keeps looking cuter and cuter.

When they arrive at home, he holds the door open for her - again - and starts fiddling with his collar.

"Ah," He coughs and pulls his collar away from his neck. "It's upstairs. The dress, I mean. I hung it on your door."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Gaara." He's obviously about as nervous as she is, so she smiles. "Really. Thank you."

He nods, and she quickly ascends the stairs before her face turns into a tomato.

There is in fact a dress bag hanging on the door when she arrives at her room, and she takes it inside with her without looking at it.

Hinata unzips the black garment bag the moment the door is closed, and when she finally sees the dress she nearly cries.

It's beautiful, really, and probably incredibly expensive; the navy blue dress that is about the same shade as his tie has a scooped neckline and an intricate lace overlay. The silk sheath underneath the lace is soft and slips easily over her body once she takes her robe off. The sleeves are mid-length, and the hem ends just above her knees. It fits perfectly, and when she looks in the mirror she almost doesn't recognize herself.

Gaara has excellent taste, it seems.

Since he is waiting for her, after all, she quickly applies a layer of black eyeliner and mascara. She considers wearing lipstick, then decides it would be too much. Finally, she smooths her hair back into what she hopes is an elegant bun and slides on a pair of black heels she had previously worn at Ino's birthday party.

Hinata takes a deep breath and looks herself over in the mirror once more time.

Well, it's now or never.

* * *

><p>When Gaara had been deciding what to do for their date, he'd asked his assistant what girls like. Maiko was, after all, a girl and therefore an expert on the subject. She had responded by raving about some restaurant her current boyfriend had taken her to, a newer place called Gorudo. It apparently sold western style cuisine in an upscale environment, and Maiko had said it was excellent. She had then insisted on dragging him to a nearby clothing store to purchase a dress for Hinata, in the event that she didn't have one. It wouldn't do to have her embarrassed, Maiko had reasoned. So he'd picked out the first thing that he thought would look good on Hinata (really, he thought she'd look good in anything but Maiko had final approval). At the time, he thought it'd all seemed really silly.<p>

Now, he makes an internal note to give the girl a raise, because the way Hinata looks right now leaves him speechless.

The dress is the perfect shade of blue and it contrasts beautifully with her porcelain pale skin. The neckline shows off her elegant collarbone and she looks so innocently sensual that he almost chokes.

She bites her lip when she reaches the bottom step and peers up at him through those long, dark eyelashes. "A-ano...do I look ok?"

He blinks and suddenly he can speak again. "You look incredible, Hinata." His voice sounds almost hoarse and the color her cheeks turn reminds him of the roses planted outside his tower.

She ducks her head, but her lips curve up into a gentle smile and he really, really wants to kiss her.

But instead, he offers his arm out to her for the second time that evening, and the feeling of her arm in his is one he enjoys.

The walk to the restaurant is a little awkward, as the villagers are all watching them with interest. It makes sense, he supposes. He's their beloved Kazekage, and he knows his villagers would like nothing more than for him to find a wife and start a family. Baki himself actually has brought it up to him, but he's never really considered a woman before Hinata.

"They adore you." She observes quietly, her small hand tightening around his own.

"I'm glad." He responds, his voice equally low so that the conversation stays between only them. "I was shocked when they made me Kazekage, you know. For a very long time I worried that the Shukaku would beat me, and that I would end up the monster my father thought I was. But eventually I realized that the people here don't think I'm that person anymore. I am not my mistakes nor am I defined by my past, and I think my people respect that."

"Your people are smart." She comments wryly. Then her serious expression turns playful. "But perhaps you simply won them over with your charm, like you did Matsuri."

He feels his cheeks begin to burn, but when she laughs, he doesn't care and he joins in with her. "Remind me to speak to her about that." He grimaces. "I can't believe no one ever told me she had a...crush on me. I care about her, but in the way that I care for all my villagers."

"Just let her down gently." Hinata says softly. "A girl's heart is a fragile thing, after all."

They've finally arrived at the restaurant and once inside, Gaara raises his eyebrows and Hinata lets out a small gasp. This is certainly not like the casual BBQ places they've visited in the past. The walls are painted a metallic gold that fits the restaurants name well. The decor is all sleek and modern in shades of white and silver. In one corner of the room, there is a raised platform where a man plays piano. The atmosphere is one of elegance, and for a moment Gaara feels underdressed.

The hostess's eyes widen when she sees him enter. "K-kazekage-sama! I did not realize you had a reservation tonight!"

Oh, shit. He never thought about that. He normally never goes to these sort of places; he doesn't make reservations.

Apparently the woman, whose nametag reads "Fumio", has realized he has forgotten to make a reservation at all, and her fingertips fly over the papers lying on the podium. "I'm sure we can find room for you and your date, Kazekage-sama; I'm sure no one will mind giving up their reservation for you, after all you've -"

"No." He interrupts her, which he knows is rude, but he won't use his position to take someone else's reservations. "We will come back another time. Thank you for your time."  
>Hinata is silent as they head back outside, and once they pass through the double doors to the resturant, he sighs heavily. He's got to be the biggest idiot in Suna.<p>

"I'm so sorry about this, Hinata." He feels miserable. "I feel incredibly foolish for not realizing I needed to make reservations in the first place."

She simply smiles at him and slips her hand into his. "It's no problem, Gaara. We can go somewhere else."

Somewhere, the gods are smiling down at him. Hinata has got to be the easiest woman to please he's ever met.

But really, he wanted to make this night memorable, and romantic, and just anywhere else won't do.

And then it hits him.

"Hinata, what are your feelings towards picnics?"

* * *

><p><strong>fin<strong>.

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><p><em>Please review.<em>

_- dreameratheart_


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